Most-Viewed Monday: Minus The Bear “The Game Needed Me”

After 20 solid years of promoting music videos, many of our videos have skyrocketed to the top. Today, we present you with one of our most-watched videos on our Youtube channel. The groundbreaking band Minus The Bear made another addition to our series with “The Game Needed Me,” which was released in May of 2007 and gained over 47K views to date.

One of the most prominent names in indie music, Minus The Bear was yet another addition to Seattle’s rich history of bands that defined and shaped alternative music. Throughout a nearly 20 year career, they were known to experiment first-hand with genre-bending while also staying true to a formulaic mix of progressive and math-rock influences. Minus The Bear has garnered an abundance of critical acclaim since the release of their second album Menos El Oso, an album that set them on the course of being heavyweights on the alternative scene and the saving grace of multiple alternative publications.

A track from their breakout second album, “The Game Needed Me” mixes influences of jazzy guitar riffs with hard-hitting indie rock progressions. The music video shows the band plastered on the sides of skyscrapers playing the song with cuts away to an ominous dark room with a well-dressed man. He’s hypnotized by a screen showing a collection of confusing and somewhat peculiar stock footage. Nothing seems to be breaking his trance, but regardless the band keeps on playing their track in their warped and gigantic states. As they reach monumental heights in their physical form, the song reaches monumental heights in its own sense.

Written by HIP Administrative Assistant Bryan Oliviera.