Dangerbird

Seattle’s Minus the Bear has perfected a unique brand of electronic math rock that melds the essentials of indie rock with calculated beats and blips. Omni, the group’s fourth album, is bolder and warmer than its successor, 2007’s Planet Of Ice, allowing that particular aesthetic to grow and expand. The carefully plucked electric guitars layer over precise drums and melodic keys, creating vast soundscapes that might feel aloof if it wasn’t for singer/guitarist Jake Snider’s pensive croon. Like on the band’s 2005 masterpiece Menos El Oso, Snider’s lyrics and emotive tone contain a sort of wistful hope that offers the listener empathic possibilities. The entire album, which slides from grandiose tracks like “Summer Angel” to the seven-minute closer “Fooled By The Night,” is ripe with detail and skillful execution – but it’s not so mathematic as to disregard emotion.