MInus the Bear "Omni"

I'm a bit too close to this band to give an objective review. I love this new album. They've moved forward with their sound in a great way, by incorporating more synthesized sounds and beats, while at the same time moving toward more traditional sounding guitar solos. The guitar tapping is still there, but not quite as much as their earlier albums. The songs however are catchier and very well produced, which some fans have complained about, but if you've listened to them progress as a band, this album only sounds like the logical next step. The lyrics are blatantly sexual in most songs, including "My Time" which is their current "single" if they get played on any station near you. "Into the Mirror" and "Backwards Animal" share the same beat and key part, however, on "Backwards Animal" the beat is reversed and almost gives a "Paul Revere" (beastie boys" feel to the song. This album, to me, seemed to be more about sustaining a mood, or feel throughout the entire album, rather than a certain mood in each song. The subject matter they choose to deal with isn't much different than in previous albums, sex, alcohol, drugs, good times etc. I love the fact that they've stayed true to themselves in that regard, and still been able to progress their sound to where its gotten. This is a really fun album to listen to. Going along with their theme of basically a fun night out, the album sort of peaks and wanes along those lines. The first few songs are upbeat and get you in the mood to go out, the climax would of course be "Into the Mirror", and then the 4 songs afterwards are like the party winding down, they get progressively more sedate and relaxed, which could be a downfall to some fans, but given the proper mood, it could fit in perfectly, if only the album were long enough to last all night.