Polar Bear – Polar Bear

Forget labels, definitions of niche genres and styles, just take Polar Bear’s self titled third album on face value. It starts with some chilled jazzy tunes rising gradually to a funky maelstrom, all topped up with a dash of electronics. Then it twists into a subdued freakout of sounds before the funk returns. Throughout the album oscillates between these extremes merging and separating as it weaves through these fifteen tracks. Pleasurable enough, but not spectacular.