And the Bear
This is the Darkness I Used to Tape

“And the Bear” is the solo project of Alexander Manuel, a French multi-instrumentalist but Jesi-adopted, who, after various bands, embarks on this one-man band career with his trusty gadgets and electronic oddities, which accompany guitars, ukuleles, keyboards, and many other analog instruments.

It's really electronics that take the lead but without overpowering the songwriting, never intrusive or obsessive; a glance at singer-songwriter music and one at the dancefloor, avoiding overproductions and bothersome computers.

Everything is played live, just as our artist does during his performances, which are also accompanied by visuals and performances that complete the set.

Truth be told, there are few guitars, except in “Fray of Stone”, but you hardly notice because the tracks are so well structured, light but never trivial, so catchy that you find yourself whistling them after just two listens.

An honorable mention for the beautiful “Are You in Time Out There”, the absolute gem of the album, a classic song between Placebo and J Mascis made of two chords that you wish would never end, above which various melodies travel, none less than stunning.

This debut of 7 tracks and an intro flows by pleasantly, it can serve as a backdrop but can also be the protagonist, it has a lot of rhythm and is moving.

You soon reach the concluding “Last Goodnight” where And the Bear, with a thin and delicate yet recognizable voice, bids us a proper farewell (accompanied by singer-songwriter Elisa C on vocals) and wishes us goodnight with a memorable final refrain to sing and sing again (I don't know if you get the picture, like when everyone together spends half an hour shouting "Naaaaa, na na na, na-na-na naaaaa, na-na-na naaaaa, Hey Jude...", with the due proportions).

An excellent debut work, fresh and brilliant, with definitely modern but artisanal sounds; just to say that I really see ATB as a craftsman, creating his music in solitude, without caring about what's going on around him.

Oh, but haven't we been hearing for twenty years now about “the quality craftsmen”?

And surely this album, in terms of craftsmanship and quality, fears no comparison.

Provided that the offer doesn't end on Sunday.