Having a production team consisting of Chris Common, Matt Bayles (then a band member) and Alex Rose (who replaced Bayles in 2006) sonically mold the original release surely doesn’t leave much room for remixing/remastering to be a selling point of Menos El Oso’s decade celebration edition. The recording remains the same, as does the tracklist. Thus, Suicide Squeeze did the smart thing in making the album available on colored vinyl for the first time—three di erent colors, mind you.
Propping up the band’s second album—and greater incorporation of breathing room into its yacht rock as interpreted through the filter of indie rock/former hardcore dudes—are expanded liner notes featuring essayed praise of friends and recollections of the band members themselves. Needless to say, if you like(d) Menos El Oso, there’s no reason to turn your back on this, although this reissue is definitely designed for those superfans who are completist collectors.
—Kevin Stewart-Panko
