| Polar Bear | |
| Type: | Album |
| Artist: | Polar Bear |
| Cover: | Polar_Bear_(album)_cover.jpg |
| Released: | 1 September 2008 |
| Studio: | Miloco Pool Studio |
| Genre: | Jazz |
| Length: | 72:00 |
| Label: | Tin Angel and The Leaf Label |
| Producer: | Sebastian Rochford and Mark Rankin |
| Prev Title: | Held on the Tips of Fingers |
| Prev Year: | 2005 |
| Next Title: | Peepers |
| Next Year: | 2010 |
Polar Bear is the third album by Sebastian Rochford's British jazz band, Polar Bear.
According to the band, they spent "a lot of time" recording Polar Bear; Seb Rochford stating that he wanted the album "to have the saxes not so much soloing, but more interacting with (Leafcutter) John, and it took a while for everyone to get their heads round improvising in that way".[1]
The album was initially released on Tin Angel in 2008, but was re-issued by The Leaf Label in 2014.[2]
On the Metacritic website, which aggregates reviews from critics and assigns a normalised rating out of 100, Peepers received a score of 72, based on 1 mixed and 3 positive reviews.[3] Drowned in Sound praised the album's "seamless motion and playful interplay" and "sheer musical pleasure", awarding it 8/10.[4] The BBC called it a "triumph" in their review, calling Polar Bear "a fine record".[5] The Guardian write that Rochford is a "proper jazz composer, whose themes are spare, colourful and strong enough to frame and support extensive improvisation from his talented crew and guests" and call the album "brilliant".[6] The Observer are less impressed, writing that "this is a band running out of ideas", calling Polar Bear "good in small doses".[7] Ultimately, the album did not receive the same press as the previous album, Held on the Tips Of Fingers, which had gained extra media attention after being shortlisted for a Mercury Music Prize.