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RIGHT NOW YOU’RE IN THE BEST OF HANDS
BY CHRIS PARKER
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This Michigan fivesome draw freely from two decades of post-punk permutations, relying equally on the raw sped and passion of hardcore, the complex, angular guitar arrangements of the Fugazi school of DC emo, and the hooks and melodies of indie pop. Yet Right Now You’re in the Best of Hands still manages to amount to more then the sum of its many parts. The band move fluidly from brisk, shouted choruses to gently lilting guitar interplay and soft-spoken verses on "Buses/No Buses," a typically hard-to-pin-down track. The infectious opener, "Ma Jolie," has the jangly charm of Papas Fritas or Small Factory; "Michigan" brings to mind the muscular musicality of the Minutemen. Although Bear vs. Shark focus on the melodic aspect of their art, they use gnarled guitars and explosive vocal outbursts to keep you off balance and the album from becoming predictable.
