Review: Grizzly Bear, "Veckatimest"
Brooklyn Experimentalists Make Difficult Sound Pretty on New Album
Jun 22, 2009
Grizzly Bear are a slow-burner of a band. Their albums cannot be listened to on shuffle or picked apart on a song-by-song basis. Rather they are complex, introspective. They demand time and attention, must be listened to as a whole and considered as such.
Heavy-handed as such an introduction may seem, the point must be made. The band is often unfairly maligned as boring by those not patient enough to let it all sink in. Keep in mind, sometimes it takes a while for that to happen, but once it does the listener is hooked.
Take 2006’s Yellow House, for instance. Opening track “Easier” clips along swiftly with its comely vocal harmonies and energetic banjo picking. Its title suits it well: it’s an easy song to like. However, it is also one of very few like that on an album full of oftentimes difficult, obtuse, off-putting pieces of music.
One almost has to force himself to get through the rest of the album, and then again several more times, before the songs begin to unravel and reveal their intricacies, but when they do moments like the drum and piano outro of “Knife” begin to feel secret and sublime.
Yes, an appreciation of Grizzly Bear’s music takes a bit of work on the listener’s part. But considering how much of it the band have put into Veckatimest it’s not asking too much.
Feelin’ Hot, Hot Hot
As stated, the band is a slow-burner. Thinking of how long it takes a single ember, if left unmolested, to start a fire the reader will get an idea of how Grizzly Bear’s songs work. But Veckatimest isn’t nearly as slow a burn as Yellow House. In fact, it’s practically smoldering from the start.
It is immediately evident on “Southern Point” that Veckatimest is not simply a retread of past efforts. The song opens with a jazzy guitar refrain and cocktail drumming before opening into a joyous swirl of noise and intricate strumming. Christopher Bear’s percussion carries more gravity than ever before, his toms thundering in accompaniment of Dan Rossen’s syrupy vocals.
Single “Two Weeks” may be the most accessible thing the band has ever released. Atop bright, staccato saloon piano, Ed Droste croons and the rest of the band delivers back-up harmony.
Grizzly Bear play the harmonics to superb effect throughout Veckatimest. Accomplished though they may be as musicians, their greatest strength lies in the entire band’s ability to back the lead vocalist. See gorgeously understated “Cheerleader” or just-plain-cool “While You Wait For the Others” for further proof.
Are You Experienced?
While Veckatimest certainly feels labored over, the album never comes across as labored. Instead it sounds immaculate, the subject of obsession: not a note out of place, not an instrument improperly mixed.
But though it is more accessible than Grizzly Bear’s previous work, Veckatimest is still an exercise in patience. It is still complex and introspective. It still demands patience and attention. It is still better experienced and considered as a whole. But the payoff, in the end, far exceeds the effort. What results is a record that part for part exceeds the the already fantastic Yellow House and is an easy candidate for album of the year.
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