Bears

Simple Machinery

[3.5/5]

Cleveland, Ohio’s Bears are stubborn iconoclasts, a band whose harmony-puffed pop and brisk riffs harken back to ’60s legends (the Kinks) and ’80s influences (the Smiths) alike. But the music on Simple Machinery lacks any sort of calculated nostalgia: Plaintive vocals envelop acoustic guitars like a wool sweater (the vulnerable, melancholic “Your Help”), while teeter-totter drums and muted handclaps add giddy bounce elsewhere (the piano-and-string-buoyed standout “Since I Met You”). To wisely avoid the monotony that often comes with the lo-fi-pop territory, Bears augment Machinery’s simple strums and lush harmonies with plenty of sonic color. “Letting It Go” and the Camera Obscura-esque “Never Again” feel like bits of frosted Swedish pop, while the funky bassline and meltaway vocals on “So Go” are charmingly awkward. The occasional off-key note or wince-inducing lyric aside, Machinery is ideal for cardigan-wearing, hot tea-sipping sensitive souls who believe in the power of true love. (SELF-RELEASED) Annie Zaleski