by Jason Hicks
If Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavilion was the most anticipated album of early 2009, then the prize for the most hyped album of the summer of 09 undoubtedly goes to Brooklyn foursome Grizzly Bear's latest album, Veckatimest. The group made a modest splash amongst hipsters, including this one, with their well crafted 2006 release Yellow House. That album even garnered a slot in pitchfork's top ten albums of the year, which put them in rarified music snob company to be sure. So with the advance word of an even stronger follow up, the blogosphere has been abuzz about the folky band's newest effort.
While for me the jury is out on whether they have topped the sheer beauty of Yellow House, Veckatimest is without a doubt a leap forward in terms of ambition and attention to detail. While previously the band primarily relied on songwriting and simple melody, this time around Grizzly Bear has given us an album of stunning intricacy laced with lush arrangements and interesting production choices. Take the epic album opener "Southern Point", that starts out as a muted hymn of acoustic guitar, bass, drums and keyboard. However by its end it has swollen to a churning stew that includes flutes, banjo, backwards cymbals, a string quartet and wah guitar leads all intertwining and darting in and out of the mix. If that sounds like a lot to digest, indeed it is, but each part integrates seamlessly and none of it detracts from the underlying strength of the song itself.
The next track is the piano driven "Two Weeks", which is probably the closest thing to a pop song on the album, and singer Edward Droste's falsetto brings to mind a rootsy version of Tears for Fears crooner Roland Orzabal. Even though it's Grizzly Bear's version of a catchy tune, there's still quite a bit of minutiae to be dissected. With its clanging percussion, a harpischord-like synth, fuzz bass, soaring backing vocals and finger snaps what seems to be a simple ditty on its surface is in fact a very nuanced composition.
The band's other chief songwriter and singer, Daniel Rossen, gets his chance to shine on the next couple of tunes, "All We Ask" and "Fine for Now", both of which are excellent showcases for his songwriting style which tends to begin delicately and build quietly until reaching an ecstatic peak. His vocals also bring to mind John Lennon's contemplative persona, a la "Across the Universe".
On the whole Grizzly Bear are fairly restrained, usually going for rococo sophistication over intensity. But while their music can lack brawn, they have indeed mastered the ability to pack quite a bit of passion and density within their aesthetic. Even though their songs have a tendency to take the indirect route to express their ideas, more often than not the payoff that they provide makes the journey one that is worth taking.
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