Chris Fallon
10/05/09, 03:02 AM
Polar Bear Club - Chasing Hamburg
Release Date: September 8, 2009
Record Label: Bridge Nine Records
It's no secret when certain bands are influenced by other artists. Nightmare of You are obviously big fans of the Smiths, Max Bemis can't get enough Saves the Day, Bayside are like the baby brother of Alkaline Trio & Smoking Popes, and All Time Low yearn to be *NSYNC. Sure, you could probably list off dozens of melodic punk bands who all steal from one another, but truth be told, in this genre... it's all in the way you sing it, baby.
Rochester, NY's Polar Bear Club appear more than willing to step in for Hot Water Music, a band with ties so deep, it's hard to imagine that they could ever be severed with melodic punk enthusiasts. With two excellent releases now behind them, it seems that the time for PBC to expand their sound has arrived just in the nick of time. Chasing Hamburg, the band's Bridge Nine debut, is still very much influenced by Chuck Ragan and company, but also blends in some modern-era Saves the Day and early-millennium Jimmy Eat World. This is the kind of record that displays a band coming into their own, emerging with a defining sound that builds off it's predecessors and embraces the true spirit of the members' strengths as songwriters.
"Living Saints" is a tasty number that runs on a blistering chorus built for newcomers to the band, and "Light of Local Eyes" might throw some fans for a loop, as the song revolves itself around a hook that is so powerfully catchy, it could be mistaken for early Weezer. "Drifting Thing" is poignant and littered in teenage hymns that would have fit in rather nicely on the Gaslight Anthem's last record. Now sometimes the band pushes some cliche elements into their sound (the choir at the end of the title cut is sort of expected by the time the song reaches its climax), however, these moments are so scattered, they're easy to ignore -- and forgive. Polar Bear Club is merely trying to keep up with their peers and remain substantially independent at the same time. It can be an arduous chore, elitists -- just keep that in mind once your Hot Water Music/Crime in Stereo knockoff band pushes their sweat-stained record out.
It's safe to say even the most dedicated and passionate old-timers will find something to bitch about, but expecting a melodic punk band not to dig deep and pull out their pop roots is selfish and ultimately weighs a band down. Chasing Hamburg is quite the stride in direction from Sometimes Things Just Disappear, and regardless of where it leaves you standing once it is over, it will introduce a band that is still creating and evolving to a larger audience intent on listening to the pop-soaked moments just as much as the riotous ones ("See the Wind" is a hell of an opener). Whether it's Hamburg or mainstream success they are chasing, Polar Bear Club are making their mark with a "new wave" of their own, and sticking their necks out for dudes who just wanna write a big fucking chorus every once in awhile.
Crime in Stereo's Is Dead; Jimmy Eat World's Bleed American; Hot Water Music's Caution; Saves the Day's Stay What You Are; Against Me's New Wave"See the Wind," "Light of Local Eyes" and "Boxes"
1. See the Wind
2. Living Saints
3. Boxes
4. Take Me To The Town
5. Drifting Thing
6. Local Eyes
7. Song to Persona
8. Olde Fisher Burial Ground
9. One Hit Back
10. Chasing HamburgJimmy Stadt: vocals
Chris Browne: guitar
Nate Morris: guitar
Erik Henning: bass
Emmett Menke: drums
Official Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/polarbearclub)Amazon MP3 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002M5MJ5U/ref=mu_dm_alb_dp/177-1136797-3780927)
Release Date: September 8, 2009
Record Label: Bridge Nine Records
It's no secret when certain bands are influenced by other artists. Nightmare of You are obviously big fans of the Smiths, Max Bemis can't get enough Saves the Day, Bayside are like the baby brother of Alkaline Trio & Smoking Popes, and All Time Low yearn to be *NSYNC. Sure, you could probably list off dozens of melodic punk bands who all steal from one another, but truth be told, in this genre... it's all in the way you sing it, baby.
Rochester, NY's Polar Bear Club appear more than willing to step in for Hot Water Music, a band with ties so deep, it's hard to imagine that they could ever be severed with melodic punk enthusiasts. With two excellent releases now behind them, it seems that the time for PBC to expand their sound has arrived just in the nick of time. Chasing Hamburg, the band's Bridge Nine debut, is still very much influenced by Chuck Ragan and company, but also blends in some modern-era Saves the Day and early-millennium Jimmy Eat World. This is the kind of record that displays a band coming into their own, emerging with a defining sound that builds off it's predecessors and embraces the true spirit of the members' strengths as songwriters.
"Living Saints" is a tasty number that runs on a blistering chorus built for newcomers to the band, and "Light of Local Eyes" might throw some fans for a loop, as the song revolves itself around a hook that is so powerfully catchy, it could be mistaken for early Weezer. "Drifting Thing" is poignant and littered in teenage hymns that would have fit in rather nicely on the Gaslight Anthem's last record. Now sometimes the band pushes some cliche elements into their sound (the choir at the end of the title cut is sort of expected by the time the song reaches its climax), however, these moments are so scattered, they're easy to ignore -- and forgive. Polar Bear Club is merely trying to keep up with their peers and remain substantially independent at the same time. It can be an arduous chore, elitists -- just keep that in mind once your Hot Water Music/Crime in Stereo knockoff band pushes their sweat-stained record out.
It's safe to say even the most dedicated and passionate old-timers will find something to bitch about, but expecting a melodic punk band not to dig deep and pull out their pop roots is selfish and ultimately weighs a band down. Chasing Hamburg is quite the stride in direction from Sometimes Things Just Disappear, and regardless of where it leaves you standing once it is over, it will introduce a band that is still creating and evolving to a larger audience intent on listening to the pop-soaked moments just as much as the riotous ones ("See the Wind" is a hell of an opener). Whether it's Hamburg or mainstream success they are chasing, Polar Bear Club are making their mark with a "new wave" of their own, and sticking their necks out for dudes who just wanna write a big fucking chorus every once in awhile.
Crime in Stereo's Is Dead; Jimmy Eat World's Bleed American; Hot Water Music's Caution; Saves the Day's Stay What You Are; Against Me's New Wave"See the Wind," "Light of Local Eyes" and "Boxes"
1. See the Wind
2. Living Saints
3. Boxes
4. Take Me To The Town
5. Drifting Thing
6. Local Eyes
7. Song to Persona
8. Olde Fisher Burial Ground
9. One Hit Back
10. Chasing HamburgJimmy Stadt: vocals
Chris Browne: guitar
Nate Morris: guitar
Erik Henning: bass
Emmett Menke: drums
Official Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/polarbearclub)Amazon MP3 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002M5MJ5U/ref=mu_dm_alb_dp/177-1136797-3780927)