Grizzly Bear
"Veckatimest"
Warp
Released May 26, 2009
One of the most anticipated albums of 2009, and also one of the finest so far, New York experimental indie-rockers Grizzly Bear's third CD is a bit of a departure from the band's previous work.
On much of "Veckatimest," named after an island off the coast of Massachusetts, Grizzly Bear's spare songs are augmented by ambitious art-rock embellishments and Wilson-esque productions.
The mood of the album is set with the opening one-two punch - the jazzy "Southern Point" and the infectious "Two Weeks," which feels like the mutant child of Pavement and the Beach Boys.
The loping "Cheerleader" shimmers with added background vocals from the Brooklyn Youth Choir. On the orchestral "Ready, Able" the band channels latter-day David Byrne.
But despite the excitement and success of the sonic experiments through "Veckatimest," the album still works well at its simplest. The skeletal folk sounds of Grizzly Bear's earlier work emerges on tracks like "Dory" and "All I Ask." And the album's highest note is the plaintive ballad "Foreground," a haunting number featuring vocals and piano which brings the disc to a beautiful close.
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