The first cd I ever bought was the Beach Boys, Greatest Hits and the first vinyl I ever purchased was The Band, Brown Album. While this is insignificant in and of itself, I have to say that I have a thing for guy bands with sweet harmonies. The newest album from Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers (SK6ers) is just such a record. The Bear combines the best of their previous records, the harmonies of Bulletproof Heart and the lyrics of Glassjaw Boxer. It starts off with the title track, which is a raw and real tune that gives the theme of the record, "Sometimes you get the Bear, sometimes the Bear gets you... in the end, there's no apologies." In all, the album is a story about how there are moments in life that seem like it's the best it's ever going to be, but sometimes life gets in the way & we let it tear us down.
I marvel at their ability to take simple melodies & pair those with emotionally-driven sometimes complex lyrics that shoot straight through to your heart. For example, A (With Love) tells a family's story in a way that makes you understand the pain and the hope that each member feels. Oh Adeline combines the love for a child with the understanding the limits a parent can reach in their protection of a child. In contrast to the family-themed songs above, Dying Wish of a Teenager and Lonely in Columbus show the inner workings of people who are depressed and can't see the light at the end of the tunnel. This dichotomy between depression and loving family shows that each person is at a different level of emotions at different times and music should show all those emotions. The album ends with the song of a love lost and a wish for tomorrow in Born in the Spring.
While this cd wasn't recorded with the hottest producer of the day with the auto-tune and the best studio musicians, it has something better- authenticity. When you listen to the final 30 seconds of Born in the Spring you feel the desperation in the voices. Satisfied Man brings you the break in the voice of a man who wants to spend time with his family but must be on the road. Without these moments, the cd would feel like the Sixers were trying to create characters instead of living their lives. So as Stephen Kellogg would say, "It isn't always pretty, but it's real."
