
“Oto the Bear” is this record's “Julian of Norwich” – this kind of whimsy is what landed Arcade Fire onto the list of Stuff White People Like, and I hate whimsy, but then again, you might not. The way each word is drawn out – “OT-to the BAY-ah” – isn't so hot. But again, perhaps you like whimsy. Are you drawn to couplets like “Oto the bear played by the thicket/Oto the bear just couldn't kick it?”
On the other hand, there are songs like “Reasons,” a beautiful ballad and reminder that it's better to love in frustration than to have never known love at all, and there's a mind on marriage throughout the record. See the hesitant piano ballad “Marriage” (“what would you say to marriage/after the 200th time I told the same joke/and then I broke your favorite watch with my heel”), or downer love story “Cold Runway.” Between these and the tribute to a successfully suicidal roommate, "Matthew," it should be the highly literate, genuine lyrics that make Bombadil stand out among an array of those safe folk-pop bands.
On a side note, the band's Daniel Michalak has tendinitis, which will keep them off the road for a while. Ergo, you can support Bombadil by buying this record.
Additionally, a more thorough introduction to Bombadil can be found on this lovely site.
Bombadil - Cold Runway
Bombadil - So Many Ways to Die
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