Back in 2005, Polar Bear were briefly elevated out of the jazz circuit when their album Held On The Tips Of Fingers received a Mercury Music Prize nomination. It was a token gesture, but anything that might successfully bring their music to the masses is to be applauded. Led by drummer Seb Rochford, the London-based outfit stay the right side of avant garde, their music foraying out in abstract directions before reaching the end of its leash and snapping back into recognisable form.
Peepers maintains the band’s established modus operandi, gilding modern jazz with the melodic flourishes of pop and rock. The players conjure up a procession of entrancing interludes, utilising guitar, tenor sax, drums and double bass to great effect. From the duelling saxophones of ‘Happy For You’ we segue gracefully onto the giddy ‘Bap Bap Bap’. It’s a delightful double-whammy that sets the tone for this most evocative of records. Elsewhere you’ll cherish the exquisitely mournful ‘The Love Didn’t Go Anywhere’ and wonder at the dextrous interplay that festoons the title track.
OK, so there are moments when experimental urges are taken too far, such as on the unholy clatter of ‘Drunken Pharoah’, or the rather turgid ‘Finding Our Feet’. Generally, however, this highly-skilled ensemble don’t sweat the technique, their talents always in service of the composition. Whether you’re a bona fide jazz aficionado, or a poor ignoramus who doesn’t know their Chet from their Cheryl Baker, you’ll still find something to marvel at with Peepers. Explore.