By Max Modell
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When BearÔÇÖs Den released Islands, in 2014, they had an immediate impact on me with their emotive acoustic sound. A well-crafted, nostalgic album, it was the beginning of a relationship with BearÔÇÖs Den which has defined my musical life. While Islands had the BearÔÇÖs Den identity, the sonic pallet of the album felt familiar. This changed with the release of Red Earth and the Pouring Rain, a much grander album, in which the band expanded their sonic pallet to incorporate synths and electric guitars, incorporating their folk roots, but with a defined contemporary personality. This meant expectations were high when the band first teased So That You Might Hear Me.
The first tease of the album came on 26th April, when the band dropped two singles, ÔÇÿFuel on the FireÔÇÖ and ÔÇÿBlankets of SorrowÔÇÖ. These two songs offered a distinct sonic contrast which would go on to define the album. ÔÇÿFuel on the FireÔÇÖ embraced new electronic elements, combining drum machines, synths and electric guitar on an epic scale. While many of these elements were contained on Red Earth and the Pouring Rain, with this song they embrace the electro-folk sound more fully than ever. The lust synths are gone, replaced by harsher, more aggressive ones, paired with beats which pulsate like nothing I have heard from BearÔÇÖs Den before. ÔÇÿFuel on the FireÔÇÖ also introduces the theme of self-destructive isolation within a relationship, which runs throughout the album.
In juxtaposition, ÔÇÿBlankets of SorrowÔÇÖ, has a more personal guitar sound, remonstrant of Islands, particularly the warm harmonies which prompt flashbacks to ÔÇÿBad BloodÔÇÖ. This introduces the second key theme of the album, connecting with someone who is no longer there. The track is undeniably powerful, heart-wrenching and hopeful in the way only BearÔÇÖs Den can be. It will linger on your mind long after you have finished listening. The track also acts a closing note of the album, revealing the thematic significance of ÔÇ£So That You Might Hear MeÔÇØ.
The album opens with a bang with ÔÇÿHiding BottlesÔÇÖ, a song which begins with simple finger-picked guitar, before exploding into life with trashing electric guitars and a pulsating background synth line, both of which create a live feeling to the track, which is not present on the rest of the album. This is the first sign that the production on this album is highly inconsistent, with each song given the space to explore its own sonic idea. While this kind of experimentation within defined limits has been a consistent feature of BearÔÇÖs Den music, credit has to go to producer Phil Ek, who has achieved similar feats in the past with bands like Fleet Foxes and Father John Misty, but never quite as successfully as on this project.
My favourite song on the record is ÔÇÿBreaker/KeeperÔÇÖ. The track offers a heartbreaking snapshot of a relationship tinged by depression, exploring how love can bond two people on a journey of suffering, sustaining them in the darkest times, while destroying them from the inside out. This point is poetically illustrated by the line ÔÇ£My breaker, my keeperÔÇØ, a description of the protagonistÔÇÖs lover. These themes are complemented by restrained production, with the synths of ÔÇÿFuel on the FireÔÇÖ replaced by minimalist guitar and piano lines, drawing attention away from the production and towards the lyrics. While an undeniably sad song, it emphasises the supremacy love can have, despite the darkness which sometimes comes with it.
ÔÇÿNot Every RiverÔÇÖ acts as the thematic centrepiece of the album. Not everything has a resolution, but everything has a journey. Davie and Jones capture this sentiment in just two verses, but itÔÇÖs an idea which exists in the background of every song on the album. In many ways ÔÇÿNot Every RiverÔÇÖ acts as a toolkit to allow you to understand the record, providing the emotional skills needed to access the rest of the album. Sonically, the song is slightly unnerving, while the shape of the melody is broadly consistent, it harmonically shifts with each phrase, disconcerting you. This adds to the intrigue of the song, subverting the most basic of expectations with regards to song structure and form.
ÔÇÿLaurel WreathÔÇÖ is the sixth song on the record, and the third single, however, sadly it is also the most disappointing song from the album, feeling like a b-side which didnÔÇÖt make the cut for Red Earth and the Pouring Rain. While the song is far from bad, and one which has grown on me since its initial release, it still underwhelms when surrounded by the brilliance of the rest of the album. It is, however, redeemed by the chorus, which contains one of the most beautiful lines on the record, ÔÇ£You donÔÇÖt have to be lonely alone/IÔÇÖll be there in a heartbeatÔÇØ.
This moment of disappointment is short-lived, as ÔÇÿCrowÔÇÖ follows, a close second to ÔÇÿBreaker/KeeperÔÇÖ as the best song on the album. Both in its reflective lyrical content and production style ÔÇÿCrowÔÇÖ is reminiscent of Sufjan Stevens, specifically the song ÔÇÿCasimir Pulaski DayÔÇÖ. ÔÇÿCrowÔÇÖ reflects on the death of one of DavieÔÇÖs MumÔÇÖs boyfriends, who lived with him growing up. The song is a memorial to him, celebrating his life, while attempting to reconcile with the fact that his death has left Davie and his Mum behind, combining specific memories with the regrets about the things Davie never said. With all of these elements, the song has all of the components to break even the most stubborn heart. As the song ends, the synths swell in the background and the titular Crow lifts you up and flies away.
So That You Might Hear Me finds poetry in the everyday, and is just that, poetry. If the lyrics were published as a book of poems you would not be disappointed. The writing is thoughtful, quiet, and deeply human. The imagery is so rich and filled with subtext that new details will be drawn out with every listen, intensifying the experience. While not perfect, the album is flawed in the way people are. Once you grow to love it, the flaws disappear, as you are consumed by all of the small details which make this album one of the greatest emotional experiences youÔÇÖll have this year.