Take some guys from Seattle and add a bunch of guitars. Multiply the sum by casual yet convincing vocals. Divide that product by the square root of an electric edge and really fucked-up song titles, and you'll end up with the textured indie-pop of Minus the Bear. Even if you can handle the math, things don't get any easier. The band's full-length Highly Refined Pirates harbors genuine songs beneath non sequitur titles, and damn near all of the songs talk about drinking with girls near bodies of water. "Thanks for the Killer Game of Crisco Twister" is about drinking, girls and boats. "Monkey!!! Knife!!! Fight!!!" is about drinking and sitting on a boat dock with a girl. "I Lost All My Money at the Cock Fights" is about being drunk and standing in the rain with a girl. It's insanity. Of course, there are more songs. Songs about sailing and drinking, skinny-dipping drunk and drinking in France. With girls. Somehow, the redundancy doesn't add up. Is it a gimmick or a twisted obsession? Bring a calculator and a life jacket just in case.
