GRIZZLY BEAR – VECKATIMEST

Grizzly Bear really are a melting pot  of talent, never once resting on their laurels since the release of their phenomenally well-received second album Yellow House, which earned them the respect of the New York Times, Paul Simon, and the global music community at large. That record expanded on their original low-fi experimental drones with the addition of chamber-pop extraordinaire Daniel Rossen in 2005 (also pursuing his flamboyant Department of Eagles project), whose distinctly pastoral harmonies and crashing, surf-toned guitar work offset the lateral melodies and oddball sentiments of songwriting partners Ed Droste and Chris Taylor. As a four-piece they are a formidable act indeed, and this new record is a tightly-focused and confident foray into even more intricate textures and percussive exultation, whilst retaining their folky roots and tin-pan-alley indie aesthetic. The four of them harmonize with startling clarity and defined dissonance; and against Chris Bear’s fluid and aggressive percussion and Chris Taylor’s orchestrally inclined bass and woodwind work, it’s a potent sound-scape. Fine For Now conjures the saturated madness of Brian Wilson’s 1970’s canon, while the massive I Live With You could be interpreted as a post-folk-rock answer to Pink Floyd’s Us And Them. The scope with which Grizzly Bear attack their lyrical subjects; loss of life, love and political catastrophes, matches their unassuming musical and human persona, something that is rare in the most successful indie bands. Filled with some surprise pop treats along the way such as the endlessly affecting single Two Weeks, this is a dark and complex folk journey, that will stand up to repeat listening for years, if not decades.

****