The 2 Bears - The Night Is Young

  • Share
  • You'd be hard pressed to find a nicer pair of musicians than Joe Goddard and Raf Rundell, two UK dancehall and garage lifers whose individual careers as DJs (and in Goddard's case, as a member of Hot Chip) inform their work as The 2 Bears. Their 2012 album, Be Strong, made a case for them as conscientious emulators, with positive-minded missives like "Increase Your Faith" and "Get Together" shaped by an eclectic set of influences—a track called "Heart Of The Congos" (named after the Lee "Scratch" Perry-produced album) explained: "it's the sound that keeps me on the ground." Their follow-up is grounded in the same code of ethics. There are nods to UK pop's globalized influences on "Son Of The Sun" and, more notably, "Money Man," a tune that progresses from light lovers rock into harder dancehall and delivers a characteristic reggae call to action ("stand up, stand up for your rights, you see") in the style of a child's sing-along. This one shows how some of the novelty has worn away from these cheery homages. Be Strong already listed the ingredients going into this musical soup (Wu Tang Clan, The Congos, Todd Edwards, the Beach Boys, among others), and The Night Is Young sometimes feels less like they're giving a tour than running down a checklist. Rundell and Goddard are still crafting warm, well-balanced tracks, but the parts that reveal their personalities—namely the lyrics—are often awkward and strangely didactic. In addition to "Money Man," there's "Unbuild It," a motivational speech for the creatively exhausted, and there's even a track dedicated to the usefulness of pleasantries ("See You"). Their sense of fun is intact, though, and the album's best tracks are its lush house and garage numbers. "Angel (Touch Me)," the first single, sweeps its piano loop into a big-hearted, melancholy dose of sweetness. A similar formula builds into a great, giddy chorus on liberation anthem "Not This Time." The album's opening track, "Get Out," is a neat encapsulation of The 2 Bears' strengths, with swinging drum breaks layered under a wistfully sung refrain made up partially of nonsense words. All of which shows that Goddard and Rundell are more engaging when they let the music speak for itself. "Sleepwalking," a lovely, floaty piece of impressionism that closes the album, taps into a higher consciousness much more effectively than "Mary Mary," which relies on a recording of the New Age musician Iasos expounding on "paradise music." As any dance fan would attest, it's less fun to listen politely than to get swept up in the moment.
  • Tracklist
      01. Get Out 02. Angel (Touch Me) 03. Money Man 04. Not This time 05. See You 06. Son Of The Sun 07. Unbuild It 08. Modern Family 09. Mary Mary 10. Run Run Run 11. My Queen 12. The Night Is Young
RA