Brooklyn-based Bear in Heaven offers another round of ice-cold synth-pop on their third LP I Love You, It's Cool. The album's sound blends the ethereal, omnipresent synthesizer technique heard on recent albums from S.C.U.M. and The Horrors with expertly crafted hooks and programming along the lines of M83. By Joe Iannazzo
I Love You is thoughtful synth-pop. It's complex yet accessible. There's something for everybody here. In 2012, it's almost impossible to dislike at least a few of the album's ten songs, especially the modern make-out track "Sinful Nature". I Love You will certainly be revisited by many come "best of" season at the end of the year. Album highlights include the percussion arrangement (particularly the handclaps!) of "Space Remains", the ominous melody toward the end of "World of Freakout", and the single-string guitar riffs that pierce the layers of synth throughout "Sinful Nature". I Love You, It's Cool will be officially released on April 3rd.
Recommended if you like: Yeasayer, M83, School of Seven Bells
Essential tracks: "Sinful Nature", "Sweetness & Sickness" "The Reflection of You"