Distraction

Audio Mixer: James Brown .
Recording information: A House, Armonk, NY; Dr Wu's Studio, Brooklyn, NY.
On Distraction, the second outing from Bear Hands, the New York City band strikes a balance between urgent post-punk and melodic pop. Sweet and edgy, the album feels like the soundtrack to a frantic late-night party, pulsing and surging its way toward the sunrise with an energy that seems to oscillate between manic and melancholy. Though it's titled Distraction, the album feels like anything but, inviting listeners to listen and dance and feel as they're propelled through its 11 tracks at a rate that, like any good party, feels as though it ends too soon. ~ Gregory Heaney