Ball of Wax 58 Songs: Grumpy Bear – “Red Weather Tigers”

The desert’s finest bedroom bards Grumpy Bear bring the brooding, spacey folk with “Red Weather Tigers.” A moody, sparse psych ballad that blends Elliott Smith with Parachute-era Pretty Things, “Red Weather Tigers” features both futuristic synth dabbling and finger-style acoustic guitar. What really makes the song for me are the vocals, both in terms of performance and production. There’s a soothing, pastoral vibe to the singing that’s made delightfully spooky with some well-applied reverb. Add in the synth bloops and whooshes, and there’s a bit of a Wicker Man in space vibe going on, which is a fine, fine Christmas gift to the writer.