Review – Polar Bear Club: Death Chorus
posted in: Features • Rock
One of the most appealing things about Polar Bear Club has always been frontman Jimmy Stadt‘s guttural growl, which sounds like something that might come out of an angry boar’s mouth if it was about to gore you to death (and also had a pretty good sense of melody). But Stadt’s voice sounds different, really different, on their latest effort, Death Chorus. So different, in fact, that Stadt actually put out a statement regarding his vocals the day before the record was released, saying that his voice had changed and that his usual snarl now sounds like “pissy, hot garbage.”
The change was noticeable enough on the album’s first two singles, “Blood Balloon” and “Upstate Mosquito,” that fans started “ what else? “ whining about it on the Internet. If they had only waited to hear the full record, listeners could have experienced just how well Stadt’s new singing style fits in with the music on Death Chorus. While the album is somewhat of a departure for these upstate New York punks, far poppier and more digestible than their earlier material, it’s also some of the most fun, shameless rock music to come out in 2013.
Featuring triumphant guitars and speedy drums, “Blood Balloon” and “Graph Paper Glory Days” kick off the record with gusto. These tracks, like many others throughout Death Chorus, are surprisingly reminiscent of the early-2000’s pop-punk on Saves the Day‘s In Reverie, or even Something Corporate‘s Leaving Through the Window. “WLWYCD,” another standout on the album, would have felt just as comfortable in 2003 as it does today.
It’s not a coincidence that PBC have been delighting fans for more than a decade “ these guys know how to craft a song. The band plays with the tempo a bit on “Upstate Mosquito,” which starts out deceptively slow and reserved, launches into a stage dive-worthy segment when Chris Browne‘s guitar part kicks in, and ultimately fades back out to nothing while Stadt repeatedly croons, “Dying for dead dreams.”
And despite Stadt’s assertion that he’s no longer able to hit some of the high notes that he once could, his range is still pretty impressive throughout Death Chorus. “Graph Paper Glory Days” is a dynamic and unforgettable track that finds PBC’s frontman howling out a chorus that begs for a sing-along. Complimented by soaring guitars, it’s the kind of vocal refrain that can only be shouted. “Chicago Spring” has Stadt belting out his vocal parts as well, and “When We Were College Kids” sees him unleashing some unabashedly poppy “whoa-oh-oh’s.”
But PBC’s unique brand of post-hardcore was always somewhat rooted in pop, so maybe this record isn’t so much of a departure after all. Take a song like “Drifting Thing,” from 2009’s Chasing Hamburg, beef it up a bit, and you have a pretty good sense of what this collection sounds like. But hey, don’t take my word for it, give “WLWYCD” a listen below.
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