MP3: The Bear Quartet - Hot meal
The lyrics of this track are straight out of the Big Black playbook. To slip into the persona of someone disreputable, not necessarily looking for sympathy, rather taking it as matter-of-fact. A glimpse into their life, for better or worse. For an early Bear Quartet track, it's surprisingly discordant as well. Nothing quite Albini-esque, but there is a definitely level of unease in the melody, especially in the way that the first half of each line in the chorus is left hanging. It's a sophisticated arrangement actually and quite a bit different from their other material of that time, hence the EP b-side treatment. I bet if they had put a bit more punch into the performance, it might even sound like Chavez. As is, it's not hard to imagine how it could be transformed as such in a live setting. So many tiny buildups and (potentially) soaring guitar lines! Typically I am anti the slacker approach, but it kinda works here. At least it gives it a touch of their own, despite my various attempts at artist comparison.
The Bear Quartet - Hot meal