I want to talk a little bit about the new CD out this week by Grizzly Bear titled Veckatimest. The strange title apparently refers to a small, uninhabited island off the coast of Massachusetts. There is nothing strange about the impact that this recording has had on me from the very first time through.
Their style is unique in many ways yet I found myself comparing various elements of their music to bands ranging from the 60's to today, such as Cream and Fleet Foxes, to name a few. The vocal harmonizing is layered perfectly throughout. Some people will call it a minimal indie sound, even lo-fi. Whatever you choose to call it, mezmerizing is the word that comes to my mind. Just when you think that you have a grasp on the direction that the album is going, you are hit with a nice choral arrangement, performed by the Brooklyn Youth Choir, on three of the songs. There are also string arrangements that are woven throughout several of the songs.
One of the songs that caught my ear on the first spin was "All We Ask". The song is low-key from the beginning. The vocals have a desperation that gives you a sense of someone trapped by feelings that they can't shake loose from. A jagged ending to the song instrumentally works very well.
The second was "I Live With You". This song laments the longing of someone separated from one they love. It has a sense of despair and blame for the circumstances with no solution in sight. Perhaps someone not able to deal with accepting the fact that it is over. It begins very subdued and builds to a driving beat, repeating this pattern a few times.
This is their third full studio album, their second for the Warp label. The Brooklyn-based band has toured with the likes of Radiohead, TV On The Radio and Feist. They have collaborated with indie artists such as Beirut and Dirty Projectors. They have also appeared at many festivals including Coachella in 2007 and have performed live on many late-night TV talk shows.
This is definitely going to be on my playlist for the forseeable future and a strong contender for my top spot on the best of 2009 list. I heartily recommend it to anyone into down-tempo, subtle-styled indie music. I believe that this will be the recording that breaks this band to a much wider audience.
More to follow!
K
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