Artist : Bear's Den
Album : So That You Might Hear Me
Year : 2019
Genre : Pop
Source : CD
Label : Rounder Records
Catalog : 1166100502
Rls.Date : 2019-05-26
Encoder : FLAC 1.3.1
Quality : 44.1kHz, 2 channels
Size : 261.5MB
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1. Hiding Bottles 4:05
2. Fossils 3:57
3. Fuel on the Fire 3:54
4. Breaker / Keeper 4:31
5. Not Every River 1:55
6. Laurel Wreath 4:33
7. Crow 4:56
8. Conversations with Ghosts 4:08
9. Evangeline 4:38
10. Blankets of Sorrow 4:28
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41:05
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BearÆs Den have a confession to make. The title of their extraordinary third
album, So that you might hear me, was borrowed from the late Chilean poet
Pablo Neruda. Or rather, borrowed and neatly tweaked.
ôSo That You Will Hear Meö was the poem that haunted Andrew Davie, the
British duoÆs lyricist and lead singer, as songs for the album were taking
shape. Only in retrospect did he realise why.
ôTo me, itÆs about trying to communicate with someone and feeling like you
canÆt reach them anymoreö says Andrew. ôThat deeply resonated with me.
Unwittingly, it became a theme of the album.ö
So that you might hear me is the follow-up to BearÆs DenÆs, UK silver-selling
debut, Islands, which earned them an Ivor Novello nomination in the UK and a
devoted following worldwide, and 2016Æs more expansive Red Earth & Pouring
Rain, which went Top 10 across Europe. 2017 saw the band cap four, non-stop
years on the road with the largest headline shows to date, from sold-out
tours of the States to a 7000-capacity arena in Belgium, and sold-out
hometown shows at LondonÆs iconic Brixton Academy and the Hammersmith Apollo.
The speed and scale of their success meant that BearÆs Den hadnÆt taken a
break since forming in 2012 û Red Earth & Pouring Rain was written in just
three weeks squeezed in between tours and main stage festival slots at the
likes of Pukkelpop and Lollapalooza Paris. Last year, finally, they took a
step back to focus on their future.
For the first time, Andrew and multi-instrumentalist Kevin Jones had their
own studio, a cubby called Josiah Booth Studios next to The Church Studios in
north London, where they could leave their instruments plugged in and come
and go as they pleased. Musically, there were no self-imposed constraints.
Nor was there a time frame.
Both had a hankering to incorporate piano and more electronic instruments
into their sound. Kev began playing with ideas on piano and drum machines
while Andrew alone went to a cottage in a remote part of the English
countryside with a guitar and started scribbling lyrics
ôIn the past, IÆve always tried to understand what IÆm writing about,ö says
Andrew. ôThis time, lyrics came from a more subconscious place. Like they
were things I needed to say and I worked back from there. I was inspired by
Neruda, who wrote as though he was trying to figure out his own feelings as
much as explain them to anyone else. The aim was to be more honest and
instinctive, like when you blurt something out and canÆt take it back, so you
have to deal with it.ö
Glorious opener ôHiding Bottlesö builds in to their rockiest song to date,
but is also doused in electronics. The idea for the song began with a synth
pad and the lyric ôHiding bottles in the cold blue light.ö Like several of
the songs, it turned out to be about AndrewÆs relationship with a close
family member with an alcohol addiction and his attempts to address it.
ôIt was a situation that I could file away while we were on tour,ö says
Andrew, ôbut back home, I had to confront. The lyrics recall real
conversations, trying to reach and help someone. ItÆs also about recognizing
what you can and canÆt change, however hard you try.ö
The first single ôFuel On The Fireö blossoms from the throb of drum machine
beats in to an orchestral beauty. ôLaurel Wreathö is a majestic track built
on piano with electric guitars and synths that shimmer like strings. Both the
haunting ôFossilsö and the deeply moving ôCrowö fuse acoustic instruments and
electronics so organically it seems daft to distinguish between them.
ôI love how the boundaries between genres have gone in the age of streaming,ö
says Andrew. ôNo one listens to music in boxes anymore, so why make it like
that? Our songs incorporate all sorts of sounds, but not in a pre-ordained
way. We could start with a weird pocket synth sound or Kev playing a creaky
old upright piano. We just tried to follow our collaborative intuition and go
where each song suggested.ö
The result is a record that is both bold and exposed, at once intimate and
widescreen. While the music leads the listener down different paths, the
lyrics unfold as though revealing secrets, each line littered with clues.
Lyrically, ôCrowö was inspired by Max PorterÆs award-winning, 2016 novel
Grief Is The Thing With Feathers while ôNot Every River,ö the albumÆs short,
self-produced shimmering centerpiece, is about acceptance û or as Andrew puts
it, ôbeing okay with whatÆs not okayö.
Bewitching album closer ôBlankets Of Sorrowö turns to nature to explore
familial love and ends with Andrew sighing that tweaked album title over
acoustic guitar.
ôWe decided pretty early that the title should be: So that you might hear meö
he explains. ôWe changed the æwillÆ in the title for æmightÆ to acknowledge a
sense of hope. The implication being that situations can change, particularly
if you talk about them.ö
So that you might hear me was demoed at Josiah Booth Studios and recorded at
several studios in Seattle over the course of seven weeks with the producer
Phil Ek (The Shins, Fleet Foxes, Father John Misty).
ôKev and I are both huge fans of The Shins û their early records helped teach
us how to write songs,ö says Andrew. ôWeÆd never met Phil, but it was our
dream to work with him so we sent him our demos and, luckily, he loved them.
Working with him in Seattle was a deeply rewarding and massively educational
experience.ö
BearÆs DenÆs four-man touring band also appear on the album, joining them in
Seattle throughout the recording to beef up the songs with brass, drums,
electric guitar and more electronics.
ôThe album has grown and evolved from all of the processes we went through.
Every step of the way, it has been instinctive, collaborative and pushed us
both lyrically and musically. From writing the songs to Kev and I working on
the songs together in the church, working through them as a band together
with Phil in Seattle and even ultimately mixing with Craig Silvey (Arcade
Fire, The National) in London. Each separate process shaped and informed the
album enormously.ö
ôThe album started out as an attempt at trying to communicate with someone
honestly. Our thoughts are not all rational, not all considered or tied up
with ribbons and bows. This album is an attempt to reveal the honest and
difficult challenge of communicating with anyone that you really care about.
ôWeÆre immensely proud of it and hugely excited to share it with people.ö