They Make Beer Commercials Like This

by Minus the Bear

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t my favorite mtb release. whether its the intricate guitar tapping, the ways the two guitars compliment each other and make the songs, the subtle yet noticeable keys on each song, the incredibly catchy basslines, or the easy yet impressive drumming. every member is at the top of their game on this ep. i could listen to this on repeat. you could also hear how their sound was evolving to a more progressive sound paving the way for menos el oso. (some menos songs were demos from around this ep.) Favorite track: I'm Totally Not Down With Rob's Alien.

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Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
+ LP INCLUDES INSERT & DL CARD

+ LIMITED TO 500 COPIES ON ELECTRIC BLUE VINYL

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Pressed on limited edition orange vinyl (1000 in this run) and includes a download card for MP3s and an 11x11 insert.

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Blue Vinyl + Digital
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Pressed on limited edition blue vinyl (1000 in this run) and includes a download card for MP3s and an 11x11 insert.

Includes unlimited streaming of They Make Beer Commercials Like This via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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Pink Vinyl + Digital
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Pressed on limited edition pink vinyl (1000 in this run) and includes a download card for MP3s and an 11x11 insert.

Includes unlimited streaming of They Make Beer Commercials Like This via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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Limited Edition LP on Half & Half Color Vinyl + Digital
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
+ 2 COPIES PER CUSTOMER

+ LP INCLUDES INSERT & DL CARD

+ SUICIDE SQUEEZE EXCLUSIVE LP VARIANT LIMITED TO 225 COPIES ON HALF BLUE & HALF PURPLE VINYL

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TEST PRESSING - RARE
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
2022 test pressing version of Minus the Bear's 'They Make Beer Commercials Like This' LP. Extremely rare collectible - only 10 in the world!

Includes unlimited streaming of They Make Beer Commercials Like This via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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1.	Fine + 2 Pts. 03:50	buy track
2.	Let's Play Clowns 03:37	buy track
3.	Dog Park 02:35	buy track
4.	I'm Totally Not Down With Rob's Alien 04:06	buy track
5.	Hey! Is That A Ninja Up There? 04:05	buy track
6.	Pony Up! 03:47	buy track
7.	Houston, We Have Uh-Oh 03:52	buy track

about

“Pop” is a tag that’s been assigned to Minus the Bear throughout their career. It’s been used to set a distinction between the unique brand of complex indie rock they introduced on their first EP, and the more angular and aggravated sounds of their previous bands Botch, Kill Sadie, and Sharks Keep Moving. It’s also a tag that was thrown around frequently in the wake of their streamlined fourth album, OMNI. And it’s a descriptor that immediately comes to mind within the first few seconds of their classic second formal EP, They Make Beer Commercials Like This. Beer Commercials is the evolutionary step between Minus The Bear’s first two landmark albums, Highly Refined Pirates and Menos El Oso. Opening track “Fine + 2 Points” remains one of the band’s strongest opening tracks in their discography, charging out of the gates with a syncopated stomp that comes across as a more agitated take on Kylie Minogue’s “Can’t Get You Outta My Head.” If Minus The Bear were looking to make pop music without any of its major-scale bubblegum trappings, they nailed it here. The band follows it with “Let’s Play Clowns” and “Dog Park”—nods to Highly Refined Pirates’ formula of frenetic clean guitar work, bombastic choruses, and Jake Snider’s lyrics of detached romantic nostalgia. These tracks may represent Minus the Bear’s original trademark version of pop but on songs like “I’m Totally Not Down With Rob’s Alien,” the band eschews its restless energy for atmosphere and dynamics, creating a sound that’s inspired more than a handful of contemporary melodic post-rock bands. By the time the band belts out “Pony Up!” the listener has watched the three-year sonic transition between Minus the Bear’s first two full-lengths transpire within under half an hour, with their earlier math rock predilections yielding to the tightly wound club-banging pedalboard trickery that defined their sophomore album. Even if Beer Commercials doesn’t fit within your definition of pop music, the unorthodox energetic charm of this relatively low-profile release serves as an exciting reminder of why Minus the Bear became one of the most important and influential indie rock bands of the new century.

The 12" is available in a limited repress of 1,000 copies (275 on color in color - Minus the Bear exclusive, 225 on half & half - Suicide Squeeze exclusive, and 500 on electric blue) and includes a download card and an 11x11 insert.

credits

released June 3, 2008

Produced by Matt Bayles.
Recorded and Mixed by Matt Bayles at Litho April 18-25, 2004.
All songs by Jake, Cory, Dave, Erin, and Matt.
Additional vocals on “I’m Totally Not Down With Rob’s Alien” by Heather Duby.
Designed by David Knudson.

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Minus the Bear Seattle, Washington

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