Shortly after the release of 2017's
Voids
, Pacific Northwest indie rockers
Minus the Bear
announced that they would be shutting down operations, closing the gate on a very respectable 17-year run. Unveiling a proper bookend with the four-song
Fair Enough
(they emerged in 2001 with an EP, also released via
Suicide Squeeze
), the band delivers an elegant farewell that befits its understated oeuvre. The title track, originally intended for inclusion on
, checks all of the
MTB
boxes, tossing elliptical guitar lines, progressive-leaning beats, heady lyrics, and wistful melodies into a rock tumbler, and as per usual, the polish sets in gradually, and before you know it you've got a gem. "Viaduct" takes that same formula and adds a heavy dose of caffeine, playing to the band's earlier, more kinetic efforts like
Highly Refined Pirates
. "Dinosaur" lives up to its prehistoric namesake via a lumbering groove, and finds the sweet spot between the group's noodly sophisti-pop and self-coined "classic rock from the future" predilections. The set closes with a
Brad Hale
(aka
Sombear
) remix of
' "Invisible," which retains the original's swirling momentum while occupying a more ambient headspace. More of a footnote than a curtain call,
delivers the (typically refined) goods, but feels ancillary to its more robust predecessor. ~ James Christopher Monger