Search - Polar Bear :: Chewing Gum

A little nugget of songwriting mastery

D. I. Javier | Los Angeles, CA United States | 07/17/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I can not say enough to praise this EP. the songwriting, especially the first three songs, is excellent. I am a hard core Jane's Addiction fan and this work (and the Deconstruction album) all but proves to me that the lion's share of the musical brilliance of Jane's Addiction came from Eric Avery. one warning: Avery does the singing on this album too, and I will admit his voice takes some getting used to -- he works the same vein as Peter Murphy in his vocal stylings. on the surface it comes out monotonous and dirge-like. but once you get used to his voice, you begin to appreciate how much nuance there is in his delivery and how much emotion and power he puts into it.if you like Jane's Addiction or you simply enjoy solid, imaginative, impeccably crafted rock songs, get this album before they all go away. it is out of print so this may be the only way to get your hands on it. I myself ordered three copies of this CD... due to my own personal negligence, I occasionally end up having to replace the CDs I play the most often because I leave them out, move them around a lot, and they get scratched up. I had to replace both Jane's Addiction studio albums and the Smashing Pumpkins' "Siamese Dream." this EP definitely goes into that category of "CDs I Will Play So Much I Will Have to Replace.""

Far from common

D. I. Javier | 03/26/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I accidenly stumbled onto Polar Bear's hyptnotizing sound in 1998 when a couple of my buddies and I went to hang out at The Whiskey on the Sunset Strip. Since then, we have followed Polar Bear to several of their other gigs at The Garage and Dragon Fly. This band completely rocks the damn house down! Their style of music is so far from the common junk you hear at these rock hang-outs. Their mix of rock with gypsy-like sounds takes you damn near Utopia!"

Underrated Genius

Bryn | Marina del Rey, CA USA | 01/21/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Polar Bear is the first post-Deconstruction release from former Jane's Addiction bassist Eric Avery. This EP shows exactly why Avery bailed from Jane's: he has too much talent to be overshadowed by someone like Perry Farrell. Not that Perry isn't brilliant, just that Avery needs to do his own thing. If you enjoyed the Deconstruction album, you'll love this. It's not like Jane's, but it is unique and powerful. Definitely worth a listen."