Bear, Man Dangerous – Slow Violence EP

Bear, Man Dangerous emanates from Seattle, Washington. This solo project operates as a singular psychedelic shoegaze machinery under the conductor’s baton of Jason from Rest As Mutes. If you’re familiar with his previous endeavors, you’re probably aware that this experimentations with shoegaze are going far away from the crushing post-hardcore sound of his primary band. Jason tried something entirely new considering his musical background, and at first glance, it seems this particular genre fits him well. Besides explorations in the vast universe of shoegaze, Jason tends to stack up as many elements as he can, so his debut material bursts with diversity.

Slow Violence carries four characteristic compositions, loaded with calmy moments and obscure atmosphere. Besides a predominant presence of shoegaze, you may hear a gentle touch of psychedelic indie rock, alternative fuzzy rock, indie pop, and experimental music that serves more as an ambient layer hidden somewhere beneath the surface. The sound of Bear, Man Dangerous defines a dreamy aesthetic achieved by calmy chord progressions, entirely overwhelmed by reverb, delay, chorus, and rotary guitar effects. The overall listening experience may sound a bit dissonant and chaotic because of these effects, but it seems that Jason has done it with a purpose.

Despite being solely inspired by a shoegaze sound, the guitars are floating somewhere in between crispy clean, and semi-distorted tones. You may also encounter some essential elements of surf rock, but these polyphonous movements are following the laid back motion of the shoegaze ambiance. Jason also included some monologues and dialogues at some moments, but they have more of a decorative purpose and primarily serve as preludes or closures for the songs. These compositions are delivering layers upon layers of polyphonous tones, but that may be the only negative side of this material. Some listeners may find this material difficult for listening, and Slow Violence certainly demands repetitious consumption, but if we put intentional dissonance aside, this material carries loads of delightful moments.

Bear, Man Dangerous takes some renowned artists as the primary source of inspiration. Artists like Leonard Cohen, Johnny Cash, Bruce Springsteen, Brian Eno, Gillian Welch, Black Dice, Tristeza, and Trans Am made an huge impact on Jason’s songwriting. However, he decided to go for a much reverby mellow sonic articulations that will appeal more to his psychedelic shoegaze outlet. Slow Violence will soon be available at Bandcamp, so keep your eyes peeled on his Facebook about the further info.