Minus the Bear

Infinity Overhead (Dangerbird)

Minus the Bear: emo, indie, prog? Eighties revivalists? As with polymaths, there’s no straight answer from this Seattle quintet. Jake Snider and his gang alchemize angular guitar riffs, Reagan-era synth, nonstandard tempos, arena-ready melodies, and a heart-on-sleeve libretto into a mélange that feels familiar but unique. “Steel and Blood” and “Zeroes” will rock technique nerds and air musicians, while “Diamond Lightning” and “Heaven Is a Ghost Town” should please lighter-waving couples. “Lonely Gun” dances out its melancholy mood, “Empty Party Rooms” mashes heartbreak into slow-jam seduction, and “Listing” jumps into sing-a-long pop. The band threatens to be as precious as a teddy bear, especially during ballads, and often feels too eager to show off its many mastered styles, but consistency and sincerity keep Minus the Bear from descending into showboating dilettantism. (Fri., Orange stage, 6pm)

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This article appears in November 2 • 2012.

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Michael Toland started writing about music in 1988 on the Gulf Coast, moved to Austin in early 1991, and has inflicted bylines upon the corporeal and digital pages of Pop Culture Press, The Big Takeover, Blurt, Amplifier, Austin.citysearch, the Austin American Statesman, Goldmine, Sleazegrinder, Rock & Roll Globe, High Bias, FHT Music Notes, and, since 2011, The Austin Chronicle.