Grumpy Bear & Boo Hiss - The Wandering Bark EP

Not “bouncing here and there and everywhere” as its namesake’s persona would suggest, Arizona’s Grumpy Bear delivers three somber, meager offerings. “Brittle Bride” is a tender tearjerker of a campfire song, while “In the Morning” is less sleepy in its acoustic, double-vocal approach, though 74 seconds doesn’t let it wander beyond its immediate horizon. “Church Mouse” might be saying something important in its lyrics, but the vocals are too muddled and hazy to discern any message that may lie within; still, the track’s melody is subtly hypnotic and despondent. Most immediately Kansas act Boo Hiss (Doby Watson, really) brings to mind a Davey von Bohlen exploring his freak-folk leaning tendencies—that warm lisp and ‘90s emo pioneer are inseparable in the minds of all 20-somethings. “Fertile Landscapes” is cold and mournful before diving headfirst into sonic carnage for its end—Watson pairs his natural vocalizing with a distorted wail to drop the narrator into what sounds to be pretty harrowing emotional depths. “Lawnmower” is 59 seconds of “oohs” and “oms” and no relevant reason for inclusion. “Reborn (Song of the Soil)” revisits the earth for the final time here, this time with a trumpet. It’s like, I don’t know, the Lovely Sparrows without the desire to make pretty melodies…and an obsession for lots of organic noise. Limited to a mere 250 copies, The Wandering Bark EP feels like a mini-collection of throwaways, leaving you wondering, what was really the point? A couple of good tracks, but give us a full-length any day of the week, please. [www.tractrecords.com]