“If you were to ask a musician about their favorite songs, they will answer that they were written in about five minutes” says Seattle indie pioneer Jeremy Enigk, “As if the song was already written and they just had to channel it…” That spirit of spontaneous creative combustion permeates OK Bear, the magnificent pop epic arriving May 12 that follows up his 2006 masterwork World Waits. It took the enigmatic performer a decade after his '96 debut album Return of the Frog Queen to return to the studio for World, so we feel particularly lucky that Bear took barely two years in the making.

Described as Enigk's "minimalist rock combo answer to his dramatic orchestral discography", OK Bear is still chock-full of big things, particularly his skillful way around a memorable riff and an uncanny ability to make the most grandiose pop/rock masterpiece still seem grounded in time and space. There are influences to spare all over OK Bear, but like most great works, it's more difficult to actually pinpoint them specifically. Enigk's unusual voice, a burnished rasp capable of reaching higher registers with ease, is perfectly suited for his intricately constructed prog/popsongs, serving as an ideal aural foil to the barrage of layered guitars, shifting percussion and more intimate instrumental touches.

“The songs sound as if they were rehearsed a million times, due to the prolific quality of the players on the record. I may have not thought too hard about the songs,” Enigk admits “but they certainly did.” He adds, “I thought that it would make for a different kind of record than I usually create, by limiting the time I had to criticize it and tear it apart. So my only expectation was really to make sure I didn't have any expectations”. Needless to say, our expectations for the vastly underrated Enigk and his sublime OK Bear are sky high.

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