This second solo release from Tony Sly – former front-man of ’90s whiny-punk-heroes No Use For A Name – is for the most part a painful way to spend 30-odd minutes of your life. Tunes like “Therapy,” “Discomfort Inn,” and “In The End” are nauseating at best, though a couple of the tracks, like the opening “Dark Corner” and “Burgies, Basics and You,” almost save the disc from being a complete wash. Following the current trend of punk rock front men – see Frank Turner, Chuck Ragan, and Tim Barry for good examples – going all solo and working-class hero, Sly’s effort here leans heavily towards themes explored during his time during No Use: personal trials and tribulations of the suburban white male at the end of the American Empire. If you can still stomach No Use’s output after all these years, you’ll probably enjoy this platter, appropriately titled Sad Bear. If you’re like me, though, and you skipped through their tunes on any of the first four Fat comps to get to Propagandhi or Sick of It All tracks, you’ll probably fucking hate this album. (Fat Wreck Chords, fatwreck.com) Sheldon Birnie