If you’re at all nostalgic for Oracular Spectacular, MGMT’s crazy electro–funk debut album, then you’ve received an awesome, neon–wrapped gift in the form of Bear Hands. The New York quartet were classmates and friends of the MGMT lads while at Wesleyan, and the stylistic influence is pretty clear. However, “Crime Pays,” the best track off Bear Hands’s new album, is satisfying and interesting in its own right. The track begins with a strong, catchy percussive piano rhythm that carries through the song and backs up the chorus. The cool, quirky hook is backed up by grungy synth sounds and dreamy atmospherics. The soundscape that Bear Hands craft in the song draws you in, but their lyrics make repeat listens even more satisfying. Like MGMT, Bear Hands revel in all things ironic — however, as opposed to MGMT’s somewhat arcane, cryptic concept songs, these guys are just having some fun. The chorus — “Everyone knows that crime pays/and everybody does it” — is as much self–conscious fun as little gems like “it took six months of trials just to put me in jail.” While the comparisons are inevitable, and sometimes even valid, Bear Hands are no mere copycats: the sound they’ve created is infectious, satisfying and very much their own. 4 Stars

More Like This