Bear Garden

Western attitudes toward Asian pop performers, particularly women, sometimes carry an undercurrent of patronizing admiration. Fans of Shonen Knife, for instance, were not always genuine in their enthusiasm, and many failed to recognize the intentional craft behind the group’s songwriting and visual presentation. In contrast, Bear-Garden, the Bangkok-based twee-pop project fronted by singer-songwriter Somsiri Sangkaew, pairs its unapologetic sweetness with polished indie-pop craftsmanship that never veers into amateur territory or ironic “so bad it’s good” territory. The band’s playful sonic approach and refusal to settle into a single style recall the work of Architecture in Helsinki, Sufjan Stevens, the Envelopes, the Go! Team, and the Flaming Lips. Sangkaew first gained prominence as the bassist in the all-female trio Subnai, which scored a series of Thai pop hits during the late 1990s. After the group disbanded, she launched Bear-Garden—her private term for a cluttered, lived-in space—as a solo outlet, releasing the albums I’m a Gardener in 2001, Mercy Killing in 2003, Blue Traveler in 2004, and Love Is Sweet Suicide in 2005.