Polar Bear (first two releases)

In the aftermath of Jane's Addiction, bassist Eric Avery has kept the lowest profile. While Perry Farrell and Stephen Perkins went on to form Porno for Pyros and Dave Navarro logged a five year stint with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Avery did his own thing. He even shunned the Jane's Addiction "Relapse" tour of 1997 forcing the other three members to draft Flea (of RHCP) for bass duties.

Aside from Deconstruction, a one-album-no-tour project with Dave Navarro (one of the best albums of 1994), Avery has focused on creating music on his own terms while ignoring all the things he hated about his Jane's Addiction experience (corporate labels, managers, mtv, etc). In 1995, he hooked up with Harold Sanders (of Ethyl Meatplow) and Thomas Von Wendt to form Polar Bear.

Polar Bear is unlike Jane's Addiction in every way except for band chemistry and intensity. Just as when you first heard Jane's, listening to Polar Bear you realize this shit is unique, intense and (most importantly) FOR REAL! This music wasn't created in a marketing laboratory like, say, Creed. No, this music is the high quality organic potent shit that only comes about when true artists combine their real talents and create actual chemistry. The result is the exact opposite of that market-driven mtv drivel that passes for music nowadays (again, Creed). What's been lacking from all of the post-Jane's projects (except Deconstruction), and music in general in the post-Jane's world, is exactly this chemistry and intensity. Porno for Pyros didn't have it. The Chilis didn't have it for much of the '90s. What is the common ingredient in Jane's Addiction, Deconstruction and P.Bear? Exactly. Eric Avery. Hell, even the Avery-less tracks on Jane's Kettle Whistle sound like flat P4P songs. Which leads me to wonder who had the lion's share of heart and soul in Jane's anyway? Now there's a topic for debate.

But this is a Polar Bear review... what does the music sound like? Polar Bear takes those things you like best about techno, electronica, jungle (or whatever the hell you want to call it) and adds to it cool guitar licks and beautiful words. They weave together intriguing basslines, lively drums, heavy (yet minimal) guitars and very unique samples. The songs can be spacey and hypnotic or funky and rhythmic often in the same track. There are transitions galore here... no riff gets over used. Avery sings in P. Bear, as he did on Deconstruction. His voice is reminiscent of Peter Murphy's but without the put on. Avery's lyrics are personal, poetic and strikingly visual. Unfortunately, neither release includes a lyric sheet.

"The Chewing Gum ep" contains five excellent tracks. The fascinating 'Monkey' is about working stiffs. It starts with a lazy (deliberately bored?) guitar hook that is soon joined by a techno-tribal drumbeat, samples and, finally, the vocals. 'Monkey' meanders along in a haze before erupting into a heavy guitar crunch. 'Water' is a heavy grinding track that stops and goes in transition. I love the opening verse on this song:

or seep slowly into the ground"

Cool imagery. 'Face' is my favorite Polar Bear track. It opens with a great tribal/industrial beat and breaks into a cool disjointed guitar riff that seems to eminate itself in waves. The music on this track is gloriously hypnotic forcing your booty to shake. Lyrically 'Face' is interesting as a short story about young girls using their budding sexuality as a "clumsy weapon" causing the narrator to declare them "unseasonably hot"... or maybe he's talking about the sudden change in the temperature when these young ladies are near? Works either way. 'Gimmee' is about gods as monsters:

"Your gods are old men

wrinkled dry figs in robes

spitting venom"

Chewing Gum ends with 'Leader' the heaviest track on the ep with the most Navarro-esque guitar riffing you'll find of any Polar Bear track. This song has an excellent bass-sustained groove to it.

Why Something Instead of Nothing? came out two years after Chewing Gum with a slightly altered line up. Avery and Sanders are still the rock but here they are joined by Dani Tull and Andy Troy. Overall, the album is more versatile than its predecessor, opting for texture rather than crunch, but the band chemistry is very strong and the tunes are tight. New to the mix are female background vocals on several tracks, strings, and a much more playfully experimental approach to the samples used.

'Lick' kicks off the album and it has an almost 'Mountain Song' edge to it. It riffs zombie heavy and contains yet another great Avery lyrical moment, this one summing up his aversion to selling out:

Other stand out tracks include 'Friday'; the gorgeous 'Shark Eye'; 'Flyer' a Lennon-esque tune about free spirited people who "always seem to be leaving"; the moody 'Bodybag' with it's beautiful guitarwork and eery background sounds; the groovy 'Farm' and the closer 'Zulu'.

"The Chewing Gum ep" can be found a t CDNow but Why Something is a tough disc to find (IUMA has copies every now and again). As of May, 2000 it is, apparently, out-of-print and Polar Bear just decided to call it quits. If you can find a copy play it for all your friends but hang on to it tightly.. it's valuable!