Minus The Bear - Highly Refined Pirates

One of the more captivating acts to come out of the alt-to-indie rock shift that dominated the late '90s and early 2000s, Minus the Bear pair tight, looped beats and mathy electric-guitar finger-tapping with sinewy verse melodies that reveal rousing choruses. Featuring members of, and, the group emerged on Seattle's music scene in 2001, drawing from a wide array of musical styles that included post-punk, new wave, experimental rock, classic rock, and indie pop. They issued six full-length albums, with highlights like 2007's Planet of Ice, 2010's Omni, and 2012's Infinity Overhead, all of which did well both critically and commercially, before announcing their retirement in 2018 after the release of their fourth and final EP, Fair Enough.