For 15 years, Seattle’s Minus the Bear specialized in a complex form of indie-pop that incorporated the unpredictable bounce of the math rock scene unfolding down the coast from them as much as it did the twinkle and occasional roar of Midwest emo. After introducing that formula in 2002 with Highly Refined Pirates, they further refined the balance three years later with Menos el Oso, which almost incidentally felt inspired by the dance-punk craze sweeping the NYC post-punk revival movement as the vibe and lyrical focus broadened to incorporate all the new life experiences the band was having as they began touring the world.
In honor of the record’s 20th anniversary this weekend, today they’ve released a remastered version of the project that additionally features five unreleased demos and an archival photo journal from this era of the band. As they gear up to take the stage tomorrow night to perform the album in full at Sunset Tavern in their hometown of Seattle—their first live date in seven years, landing ahead of an extensive and largely sold-out fall tour of the US—we asked them to take us back to the headspace they were in when they wrote each of the tracks that make up Menos el Oso. From guitarist David Knudson revealing the influence of Danger Mouse’s cult hit The Grey Album to Knudson and bassist Cory Murchy confessing to penning lines too complex to play live (though that hasn’t always stopped them) to guitarist Jake Snider reveling in these songs’ inherent nostalgia, check out their words below.
Menos el Oso’s deluxe edition is out now—you can purchase it here. Additionally, find all of the band’s upcoming tour dates here.
1. “The Game Needed Me”
David Knudson: What a fun track to write and experiment with. In 2004, Danger Mouse released his Grey Album, which was the remixed verison of JAY-Z’s Black Album and The Beatles’ White Album. This was a huge inspiration for me—so many cool cut-up musical passages, re-imagined guitar and bass lines, the mish-mash of big programmed beats paired with glitchy sampled acoustic guitars—it was a goldmine of new sounds that I tried to emulate with a couple DL4 pedals and a whammy bar on my guitar.
2. “Memphis & 53rd”
Jake Snider: This one’s dusty. The music felt like a desert highway, motels, driving an old sedan. A place to escape. The words came out of the vibe easily. When this song comes up in a set, it’s a release. Perfect second song for the record.
3. “Drilling”
JS: My wife and I took a trip to the West Coast of Ireland right after our last year of college. This song feels like a stack of photos found in a box in the basement when I listen now. “Drilling” made it into almost every set the band played. It’s a fun one live.
4. “The Fix”
DK: Soundcheck in Grand Rapids at The Intersection is the origin of this song. I remember messing around with the loop on stage and stumbling onto the chord progression and rhythmic sampling pattern. The dueling guitar part in the bridge is a particularly fun highlight for me. I always mess up the sliding/ascending part live, but it’s fun to walk over to Jake and see how close to the recording we can get during the show. Sometimes it’s hot, sometimes it’s not!
5. “El Torrente”
Cory Murchy: Very much a studio song that wasn’t played live often due to its particular intricacies. Definitely a darker moment on the album, but a good counter weight to some of the lighter subjects explored. Not unlike a midday storm that rolls through only to enhance the tranquility of a beautiful sunset that comes later.
6. “Pachuca Sunrise”
DK: The video for this song played a big role in helping us reach a bigger audience. MTV2 was still a thing, and shows like Subterranean showcased the song to a brand new audience. We filmed the video in Seattle and as a fun little twist, all of us had our dads make appearances in the video. It was a fun and weird and rewarding afternoon watching our dads shoot marbles in a Capitol Hill loft in Seattle. Afterward we took our dads out to dinner at Via Tribunali, a hip Seattle pizzeria, and celebrated how far the band had come over the last four years.
7. “Michio’s Death Drive”
CM: We had the great fortune to travel to Japan for our first overseas tour. Our driver was a fantastic guy named Michio. The experience was an absolute blast and we all made sure to soak in as much of it as we could. There were many long nights after we played our shows, and after one particularly festive evening we all piled into the minivan and someone asked Michio if he was feeling up to the task to get us back to our hotel, to which he simply replied with a wide smile on his face: “Oh yes, death drive!”—we all howled in youthful laughter. The frantic, driving nature of the song made perfect sense to name it in his honor. A night we’ll never forget, mostly.
8. “Hooray”
DK: One of the earliest Oso tracks, we played this one every night on our tour of Spain in 2004. Lyrically, it’s about a snowy day in Seattle full of carefree debauchery, but every time I hear it I think of the beaches of Spain, its food, and the fun of travelling abroad one of the first times with the band.
9. “Fulfill the Dream”
CM: This remains one of my favorite songs to play live due to its energy and synchronized riffs. I had a shirt that had an image of Martin Luther King Jr. on it and below his bust it read “Fulfill the Dream.” I wore it constantly and somehow it became the name of this song. Kinda makes sense lyric-wise depending on the dream you’re dreaming.
10. “The Pig War”
JS: It’s a love song for San Juan Island, a place you can simply be with someone you love without an agenda. Nostalgic. It’s all about the vibe.
11. “This Ain’t a Surfin’ Movie”
JS: Another nostalgic snapshot of simple times. Being young in a time of life before all the complications of real adulthood, naively making plans for the future. The music rides between flow and syncopation. It feels good to play live, another release. The obvious end for the album.
