Jared Leibowich, prolific solo artist and leader of the Zoltars and the Infinites, spent the last eight years working on his most ambitious project yet: a concept album for children. Leibowich, whose gentle, humble sincerity yields a musical Jonathan Richman/Mr. Rogers hybrid, proves the ideal candidate for the kindie genre. His debut under the Jarebear moniker, The Journey for the Giant Jelly Bean follows young protagonist Otis in search of the titular confection rumored to solve the world’s problems, all the while extolling teamwork, trying new food, making hard decisions, and, of course, recognizing your parents as your best friends. Sonically, Jarebear is somewhere between the garage urgency of the Zoltars and Leibowich’s honeyed, understated solo work: guitar-driven rock awash in a hazy Sixties sound with sweet, layered vocals. The energy’s cranked up, too, a gleeful, punching absurdity winding through the 12 tracks of vivid whimsy.
This article appears in April 6 • 2018.