A Round of Sound

As far as I’m concerned, 2006’s Yellow House was a decent album, with a few songs, most notably “Knife” and “On a Neck, on a Spit”, that blew the listener away and at least put Grizzly Bear on the map. But, for me, it was a bit overrated as the album was devoid of many memorable moments and was, well, boring. A beautiful album yes, and it was certainly evident that there was something there that hinted at Grizzly Bear’s talent and potential, but as a whole, I put the album on the back burner and never really felt a need to come back to it. Enter In Ear Park, the 2008 release from Grizzly Bear’s sister band Department of Eagles. Led by Daniel Rossen and featuring 2 other Grizzly Bear members, I surprisingly felt a much greater connection with this release and considered it one of the best albums of the year, just barely missing out on my top 10. There were elements on this release that I felt could benefit Grizzly Bear, but who knew if that would ever happen, so in essence, I became a fan of Department of Eagles more so than of Grizzly Bear.

I didn’t pay any attention to Grizzly Bear news, including their Friend EP release in 2007, but knew they had a new full-length album in the works for 2009 and was sure I would at least give it a listen. My first sense of excitement surrounding the new release was hearing “Deep Blue Sea” on the Dark Was the Night compilation (also featured on the Friend EP as a Dan Rossen home recording) and noticing hints of what I hoped Grizzly Bear could become and despite the fact that “Deep Blue Sea” would not be featured on the new album, the hype for Veckatimest continued to grow. The album leaked in early 2009 to horrible quality, but continued to generate buzz. So here we are, three years after Yellow House and with a fantastic side project release in between, Veckatimest finally has its day, and alas, the foundation laid by Yellow House has been built upon to create an epic release, easily Grizzly Bear’s masterpiece, that is sure to go down as one of the year’s best and the album that takes Grizzly Bear to a new level.

Right from the get go, Rossen’s increased input is felt and his Department of Eagles influences shines through on “Southern Point”, but Veckatimest isn’t hi-jacked by Rossen by any means. This is still undeniably a Grizzly Bear album, but it seems like Veckatimest is every band member at his finest creating tighter and more focused songs rather than the grand scope of Yellow House characterized by Ed Droste’s ambitions. Following “Southern Point” is album standout “Two Weeks” which has already garnered immense praise since it’s debut last summer on Letterman. What “My Girls” is to Animal Collective’s Merriweather Post Pavilion, “Two Weeks” is to Veckatimest; an accessible and radio friendly song debuted long before the record’s release that gave everyone a taste of what was to come on the upcoming album. The pulsating piano chords throughout identify the song, but the gorgeous harmonies and an actual catchy melody are the first glimpses into what the rest of the album has in store. Both “All We Ask” and “Fine For Now” each feature a slow and steady build-up throughout the first few minutes before climaxing with the perfect compliment for the aforementioned build up; a breakdown complete with hand claps singing “I can’t get out of what I’m into with you” on “All We Ask” and a explosion of guitars to close out “Fine For Now” (which is even more amazing live…obviously). The first half of the album is closed out by fan favorite “Cheerleader” with the eerie Ed Droste vocals and harmonies that can only be described as dreamy.

If there is a down part to the album, it comes in the midsection starting with “Dory” which would probably fit better on Yellow House, but would be one of its standouts none the less. It’s the least straightforward track on Veckatimest and is followed by “Ready, Able” which after a couple minutes, evolves into maybe one of the more underappreciated tracks on the album. “About Face” and “Hold Still” aren’t particularly as memorable as anything else on the album, but they lead into “While You Wait For The Others”, a song that along with “Two Weeks” absolutely epitomizes what Veckatimest does right; combining the group’s harmonious grandiosity with melodic pop hooks. The album closes out with the Rossen led “I Live With You” and perhaps the most stunningly beautiful track on the album “Foreground” complete with gorgeous choral arrangements by guest Nico Muhly who makes his presence felt on numerous tracks. “Foreground” is a glorious send off to Veckatimest that serves as a reason to pause and reflect on the listening experience and the need to do nothing other than hit repeat and go through it all again.

But when all is said and done, it is impossible not to come back to “Two Weeks” and “While You Wait For The Others”. These are the songs Grizzly Bear was meant to create, combining the harmonies and soundscapes that Grizzly Bear does so well with a melody that we knew they had in them. These songs aren’t alone in carrying that torch on Veckatimest, as the album as a whole is a testament to the brilliance of a band who has mastered their craft, but they are the best examples of the potential Grizzly Bear had in them that is now rising the forefront putting the band in a class of their own.

[“Two Weeks” – Veckatimest]

[“While You Wait For The Others” – Veckatimest]

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 16th, 2009 at 6:50 pm and is filed under Album Reviews, All, Music. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.