For an authentic slice of country-influenced rock 'n' roll-infused Americana then look no further than the self-titled debut album from The Bear and the Bison. Ten tracks dance on the hot coals of the American roots scene eventually embedding an album that ultimately glistens in its simplicity. Mark W. Lennon from Buffalo NY is the brainchild behind this operation He teams up with Courtney S Lennon on the songwriting front to serve up ten songs that keep the listener on their toes throughout a modest timespan. The key is the diversity and the knack to drive home a song that unites ideals of how this music should roll out. Also it injects a sense of fun and purpose even when pressing the sad song button.
The album kicks off in familiar territory with the gentle country roller 'Train Train' where shades of Old Crow Medicine Show peer out from a trusted theme in part a letter to Memphis. Nifty guitar and a similar traditional country feel adorn another well-trodden theme in 'Misery'. There's plenty of feeling in Lennon's voice as we are introduced to a steel input ready to roll out across the album in an underpinning dose of twang.
'She's Cold' is one of the pre-release preview tracks and pings the listener around the land referencing LA, Chicago and Ohio for starters. Fiddle features alongside a memorable repetitive line "Lonely and scared, I'm a long way from home". This track leads into a sound diversion in the jangle rock tones of 'Scream Fever'. This 5-minute track unveils as a sort of an epic in what is only a 35-minute album. It started ok in these quarters but definitely has potential to be a grower.
We get back on the country trail at the halfway mark with the symbolic weeper 'It's All Downhill'. This archetype story ballad depicting a declining love references Merle and a Brian Wilson t-shirt. All in a day's work for a songwriter. Ensuring complacency doesn't kick in we are introduced to a folk undercurrent to 'Got To Make These Times Better'. Fiddle aids this effect coupled with some happy clapping chanting to impose an upbeat nature.
If this album wasn't diverse enough on a fairly tight spectrum, pure 50s rock 'n' roll retro invites you to some top tapping fun in the infectiously jiving 'Kinda Hearted Man'. We even get a Townes Van Zandt namecheck to add to the roll call. The listening pleasure kicks on in the great melody hailing the chorus to 'Country Mood'. A track straight to the title in the opening line and once again bringing steel back into the fray. There is definitely a classic pop tinge to this song alongside some air punching intent.
For a final namecheck, "Doc Watson on the radio" repeatedly gets sung in the chorus of the catchy 'Woman of Mine'. A track feeding spoilt ears in the penultimate slot. We get a final slice of steel in album closer 'Last Try', but we soon enter the mainstream vibes of heartland rock and a reminder this album has its roots in upstate New York.
There are lot of positive ways to describe how THE BEAR AND THE BISON lands on its listener. Easily accessible, friendly, neat and tidy may not be scintillating connotations but sometimes a basic approach and free from fuss effect works well. While fluctuating and flickering across a landscape of classic American music styles, this album embeds when it needs to and hits a mark.