Minus the Bear - Menos El Oso (20th Anniversary) [2LP Pink]

Back in 2005, Menos el Oso marked a bold leap for Minus the Bear, blending mathrock intricacy with glitchy guitar loops, modern R&B grooves, and shimmering synth textures. Two decades later, it still sounds like the future – only now, it’s wearing a confident vintage glow.

This Deluxe 20th Anniversary Edition celebrates the album’s enduring influence with a 2LP pink vinyl pressing, housed in a gatefold jacket featuring updated artwork with matte gloss, spot UV varnish, and a 24-page photo booklet. The original eleven tracks remain untouched, from the tight, pulsing opener “The Game Needed Me” to the wistful anthem “Pachuca Sunrise” – a song so perfectly bittersweet it’s practically indie rock canon. “Drilling” and “The Fix” still sparkle with the push-pull of euphoria and melancholy, evoking late nights, foreign shores, and the restless energy of a band on the cusp.

Side C delivers five previously unreleased demos, mastered by Ed Brooks, including early takes on Menos el Oso favorites and “I’m Totally Not Down With Rob’s Alien” from their They Make Beer Commercials Like This EP. Side D features a striking etching by bassist Cory Murchy, making this edition as much a visual keepsake as a sonic one.

Cut by Bernie Grundman and pressed with lush clarity, this is Menos el Oso at its most expansive – an album that proved risks are worth taking, and that great music only gets better with age.