Posted on: January 29, 2008 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Minus the Bear is currently supporting its latest release, Planet of Ice on Suicide Squeeze Records. The Seattle based outfit is gearing up to tour Australia and Japan this February, in addition to select dates in Hawaii and Florida. The tour will begin in Brisbane, AU on February 8 and will include appearances at the Langerado Music Festival on March 9 and Coachella Music Festival on April 25. Tour dates below.

Planet of Ice was one of the best reviewed albums of 2007 and is Minus the BearÂ’s fastest selling record to date, selling over 42k in under 5 months time. The success surrounding the release has been amazing for both the band and label, emboldened by its sound on record and itÂ’s live set – the perfect marriage of the bands signature sound and experimental elements, but with an accessible bent. Planet of Ice received raves and notices from outlets across the globe like MTV, NPR, SPIN, Alternative Press, URB, Filter, Harp, The Onion, Skyscraper, Stereogum, LA Times, Seattle Weekly, The Stranger, Seattle Times, Boston Phoenix and many more.

Minus the BearÂ’s Planet of Ice secured its first Billboard Top 200 chart entry (#74), with first weeks sales of 10K (and stayed on the chart for 4 weeks). At college radio, it achieved a career best, logging over 7 weeks in the top 10 on the CMJ Top 200 chart (peaked at #4 on the chart). At commercial radio, Minus the Bear received tons of specialty notices with airplay from KNDD(Seattle), Q 101 & WXRT(Chicago), Live 105(San Francisco), Indie 103.1(Los Angeles), 91X(San Diego) and more. They played high profile radio appearances at KEXP (Seattle), WXPN (Philadelphia), and KROX (Austin, TX).

MTV christened Minus the Bear one of its 52 Bands this past September. The artist of the week featured over 11 hours of promo on the main network. Their lead video from Planet of Ice, “Knights” also got them heavy rotation on MTVU and play on Subterranean. In November the band was the subject of The Drop, a segment that “serves up three new tunes from some of the biggest and brightest bands out there for your listening enjoyment and knowledge enhancement”. A new video is in the works for the bands next single “Throwin’ Shapes” from Planet of Ice. The video was directed by Michael Gaston and Brooke Montgomery and will be released early spring 2008.

Minus the Bear SOLD OUT venues across the country this past fall, with festival appearances at ChicagoÂ’s Download Festival and SeattleÂ’s ENDfest along the way. In November, the band made their way to Europe and the UK and a wildly successful run with sellouts along the way. The band will tour the North America again this spring.

Minus the Bear has been included in the well-loved Burn To Shine DVD series, out February 19, 2008. Shot in Spring 2007 in an abandoned house in Seattle, WA Minus the Bear performed an electrifying version of the hit single “Knights” off of Planet of Ice. The DVD includes performances by such artists as Ben Gibbard(Death Cab for Cutie), Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam), Cave Singers and many more. The band will also release it’s remix record, Interpretaciones Del Oso, on February 5, 2008 on vinyl through Vinyl Collective and can be purchased here . Limited to 1,000 copies, the disc will be released on various colors – 150 Mystery colored vinyl, 250 on Root Beer Float colored vinyl (cokebottle blue/half opaque brown w/ cream splatter) and 500 on 180 gram black vinyl. The band also just re-launched their website www.minusthebear.com so make sure to check that out!

Tour Dates

2/8 — Brisbane AU — The Zoo

2/9 — Sydney AU — The Metro

2/10 — Melbourne AU — The Hi Fi

2/14 –Tokyo JP — Shibuya O-Nest

2/15 — Osaka JP — Unagidani Sunsui

2/16 — Nagoya JP — Ikeshita Club Upset

2/19 — Tokyo JP — Shibuya O-West

2/23 — Honolulu HI — Pipeline Cafe

3/9 —Big Cypress, FL — Langerado Festival

Planet of Ice quotes:

Planet Of Ice finds the Seattle quintet more comfortable in their own skin, exploring looser, more organic arrangements and indulging next-gen guitar god Dave KnudsonÂ’s psychedelic side. The tightly wound dance numbers are dancier (“Knights”); the slow sex jams are sexier (“White Mystery”); Cory MurchyÂ’s bass and Erin TateÂ’s drums are as in synch as ever (the punchy, dirty “When We Escape”); and new keyboardist Alex Rose gives the synths a much stronger role than ever before, both with brilliant countermelodies and sublime textures – [4.5/5 Stars] – ALTERNATIVE PRESS

Splits the difference between mellow indie-pop and grand progressive rock; in the band’s oblique grooves you can hear the influence of jazz-inflected Chicago acts like Tortoise and the Sea and Cake – NY TIMES

The bandÂ’s latest is sublimely elegant and more maturely conceived. It comes to a head when glitchy synths skip into playful free-form guitar on “Knights,” then eases into the delicate ebb and flow of “When We Escape,” a mid-tempo ode to newfound lust – [3.5/5 Stars] – SPIN

It is easily one the bandÂ’s best album and possibly the best album of the year – SPUTNIKMUSIC

Planet Of Ice marks Minus The Bear at the top of their game – NO RIPCORD

Here, theyÂ’re at their best churning out catchy, three- and four-minute songs like the driving “Knights” and the occasionally explosive ballad (“When We Escape”). If theyÂ’re a prog band, theyÂ’re one of the few that works offbeat ideas into actual songs instead of the other way around – HARP

This is headphone indie rock, but with plenty of wondrous aural attractions to keep your wandering mind from straying too far – POPMATTERS

Planet shows the band eager—and more than able—to take a deep breath and explore its emerging maturity and depth – [Grade: A-] – THE ONION AV CLUB

Minus the Bear has once again extended their sound in a powerful way, cleverly re-invigorating what lies at the center of their musical efforts. With longer songs, louder words, and catchy-as-hell guitar parts, this album is both immediately gratifying and deceptively interesting – DELUSIONS OF ADEQUACY

Before delving into the many virtues (and modest shortcomings) of perpetually underrated rock savants Minus the Bear, a quick word for those new to guitarist Dave KnudsonÂ’s axe attack: DudeÂ’s one of rockÂ’s most dynamic, distinctive instrumental voices. Period. So go buy some plastic sheeting, cover the walls and spread the style section all over your floor while his pluck-positive, finger funhouses blow your freaking mind. Jake Snider keeps his fingers all over IceÂ’s thermostat, his tales of misappropriated personal currency (“White Mystery”) and corporate disconnect (the jawdroppingly dense “Dr. LÂ’Ling”) providing the titular chill while his hushed romantics (“ThrowinÂ’ Shapes”) beckon the thaw. MtB play the part of Trotsky subtle, tenderly thawing their frozen world rather than swinging away, picks-in-paws – FILTER

Minus the Bear’s brightly appealing indie-pop may be dispensed with remarkable technical prowess — complete with precise guitar work and complex time changes — but it also benefits from the band’s sweetly personal lyrics and flair for writing power-pop hooks…Planet of Ice (out next month), maintains an organic quality that allows the songs’ innate catchiness to shine through – NPR WORLD CAFE

Its both a definite assertion of a new direction and and an exciting tease for whatever may come next for Minus the Bear – SKYSCRAPER

“Throwin Shapes” is in and out under three minutes, and you get the sense that Minus The Bear’s minds are on the track’s interlocking-guit hook with every second, in every section; even the bridge stays close to the chorus, with some components disassembled to remind you the Seattle band has paid its road dues and spent its time in the shed. Accessible track with detours in the soundscapes – STEREOGUM

Take a musical journey with this new song from Minus the Bear’s upcoming album, “Planet of Ice.” The track begins with a hint of ambient electronica, then jumps into choppy Gang of Four territory. When lead singer Jake Snider enters, you may imagine you are listening to … Roger Waters! … And there’s more than a touch of the Floyd lurking in the Bear’s honey pot. Listen to the repeated guitar figures while synthesizers squeal in the background. True to the Bear tradition, the song’s strange title is left unexplained – LA TIMES

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