Minus the Bear

Interpretaciones Del Oso

Record Review by Alexis Roberts

Interpretaciones Del Oso is the perfect example of why I hate remix CDs:  other people take a perfectly good CD and try to make it better, or more interesting, or whatever, and it just winds up wrecking all of the magic that it had in the first place. Menos El Oso was such a perfect album, but Interpretaciones Del Oso is more or less one of the most horrible remix CDs I have ever heard, and it will be a blemish on Minus the Bear’s otherwise excellent resume.

Before I tear them another one, I would like to explain that I have nothing but love for this band. I have been listening to them, attending their shows and purchasing their CDs (yes, legally purchasing) for years. When I heard about the remix album, I decided to proceed with caution, because I know that remix albums are typically no good (with a few exceptions). When you think remix, or at least when I think remix, I think extended dance party songs. The MTB remixes are more like Disney’s Electric Light Parade song gone wrong, very wrong. You couldn’t dance to this mess if you tried.

The remixes are so absurdly organic that half of the songs aren’t even recognizable. “Fulfill the Dream (Old Italy Remix)” is fubar. It eliminates all of the goodness in that Minus the Bear sound that we all love, and turns it into some distorted techno disaster. If you are expecting to hear any of that sweet “ting ting ting ting,” don’t get your hopes up.

One of the tolerable tracks is “Memphis and 53rd (Fog Remix).” It’s a really interesting dark spin on an otherwise light song, but the distortion is so overdone that it gnaws away at your sanity and becomes a chore to finish. Thank goodness for “Pachuca Sunrise (Alias Remix),” which saves the album from being a complete tragedy.

I would advise to not blindly purchase this CD , because I have a feeling that it’s going to disappoint more people than it pleases. Look, Minus the Bear, I love you guys, please do us all a favor and just release a kick ass follow up to Menos El Oso, and we can pretend that this Interpretaciones never happened.