One of the pioneers of the emo-rock genre, it is probably fair to call Jeremy Engik (melo)dramatic. His 2006 album World Waits is a huge, sweeping sound that can only be described as drama in instrumental form. With rumors of Sunny Day Real Estate once again getting the band back together (this time with Nate Mendell peeling himself away from the Foo Fighters to make it a complete reunion) and another solo studio album dropping, Engik is keeping the drama rolling.
OK Bear is a lighter version of Engik’s sound. The orchestra has been left to the side this time and only a piano, guitar and some percussion seem to play major roles. The lyrics continue to be introspective, heavy, and unobvious (I think I made that word up)—double so when they come from his intense voice—we should expect nothing more from one of the fathers of emo. As he howls in one of his tunes “They got it all, but they ain't got emotion.” No one will ever accuse Engik of that.
One of the sources of wonder with Engik is his own story. Back in the mid/late-nineties his new found faith in Jesus was one of the things some people blamed for the break up of SDRE. If this is true, one certainly has to consider why that would be the case. What does following Jesus do to people? To bands? To song writing? To music?
OK Bear stands as another installment in Engik's answer to the questions above. Beautiful melodies blended with hard driving explosions of sound offer the soundtrack for pondering whether “it is all just a state of mind.”
Listen and learn.
