The 2 Bears: Be Strong - Album Review

The 2 Bears
Be Strong
Rating: Grrrr

The 2 Bears, the side project of Hot Chip's Joe Goddard and Raf Rundell, is an homage to both gay subculture (Goddard and Rundell, who are both straight, fit the "bear" description) and to the classic house music that has influenced and inspired them. Be Strong is a strong collection of house and two-step anthems that sometimes oversteps its bounds into kitsch territory, but otherwise holds its own among its peers owing to its creators' obvious affection for their influences. Through its 12 tracks, the album takes stops in Chicago, Detroit, and the Caribbean, and is a statement about the healing/loving/positive nature of dance music. But first and foremost it is a fun, frisky record. While still a side project, this is no off-the-cuff throwaway. You can feel the tenderness and affection put into each track.

The album begins with a bit of a bait and switch, with the sunny, Caribbean rhythms of "The Birds & The Bees," floating under a bed of xylophones, horns, and chirpy electronics. Its slow build getting more and more insistent as the track progresses. The subtlety of the track becomes a bit of head scratcher once it fades into the brilliant triad of "Be Strong," "Bear Hug," and "Work." "Be Strong," about the healing power of music, is a glorious mash of pounding drums and whirring synths, and Goddard's deadpan baritone playing against Rundell's deep bass.



And yes, "Bear Hug" has some of the silliest lyrics I have heard in awhile, but it's such a infectious slab of fun it is easy to overlook and just give into the beat.



"Work" uses old school house piano rolls, disco percussion, and rising strings, all coming to a head with a Detroit techno breakdown at the end.



Be Strong could have been just one house track after another, bleeding into each other, and having no real pacing or variety, however, Goddard and Rundell are smart enough to structure the album more like a pop record, allowing for palate cleansers between the house bangers, like the breezy Soul II Soul-esque track "Warm & Easy," acoustic guitar driven "Time In Mind," and the reggae tinged 2-step of "Heart of the Congos."



But of course, the focus of the album is the dance floor, and it is virtually impossible to stop yourself from bobbing your head, shaking your ass, or tapping your feet to these tracks. From the driving house of "Get Together,"



horn punctuated disco fury of "Ghosts & Zombies,"



and the throbbing pulse of "Take A Look Around," Be Strong gets the blood pumping and heart rate thumping.



Be Strong just made me smile; its party-vibe is too infectious not to. You can tell Goddard and Rundell had a blast making these tracks, and the love and care given to them is very evident. Sometimes an album doesn't have to be profound or genre-busting, it can just be a well-constructed set of songs that does what it sets out to do. Be Strong does this in spades.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.