Fair Enough

Shortly after the release of 2017's Voids, Pacific Northwest indie rockers Minus the Bear announced that they would be shutting down operations, closing the gate on a very respectable 17-year run. Unveiling a proper bookend with the four-song Fair Enough (they emerged in 2001 with an EP, also released via Suicide Squeeze), the band delivers an elegant farewell that befits its understated oeuvre. The title track, originally intended for inclusion on Voids, checks all of the MTB boxes, tossing elliptical guitar lines, progressive-leaning beats, heady lyrics, and wistful melodies into a rock tumbler, and as per usual, the polish sets in gradually, and before you know it you've got a gem. "Viaduct" takes that same formula and adds a heavy dose of caffeine, playing to the band's earlier, more kinetic efforts like Highly Refined Pirates. "Dinosaur" lives up to its prehistoric namesake via a lumbering groove, and finds the sweet spot between the group's noodly sophisti-pop and self-coined "classic rock from the future" predilections. The set closes with a Brad Hale (aka Sombear) remix of Voids' "Invisible," which retains the original's swirling momentum while occupying a more ambient headspace. More of a footnote than a curtain call, Fair Enough delivers the (typically refined) goods, but feels ancillary to its more robust predecessor. ~ James Christopher Monger