Music Review: Veckatimest - Grizzly Bear

Note: This review will be appearing in the November edition of the Bulldog Bulletin

Okay…maybe I did discover Grizzly Bear a few months ago and have subsequently already listened to their latest release, Veckatimest, so many times that it already has its sights set on assaulting my iPod’s “Top Played” playlist. But this album is so good that I felt that I absolutely had to write a review and give Veckatimest its props. Released last May, Veckatimest has vaulted Grizzly Bear to one the darlings of indie rock and to the forefront of the so-called “folk revival”. This album is a big step up from their last album, Yellow House – which was formidable in its own right, and has to be considered one of the top releases of 2009.

Upon first listen of Veckatimest, you’re hit with the album’s two standout tracks “Two Weeks” and “While You Wait for the Others”. “Two Weeks”, quite simply, is a pop music masterpiece. It starts with a bouncy, power-lollipop keyboard intro for the sweetest of the musical sweet-tooth and then is joined by Edward Droste’s soaring falsetto and incredible four part harmony hooks from the rest of the band. “Two Weeks” should be considered a landmark in indie music for many years to come. Meanwhile, “While You Wait for the Others” is in my opinion for singer Daniel Rossen what “Something” was for George Harrison, a signature song for Rossen to establish himself as the co-leader of the band and prove his incredible talent as a singer/songwriter. A biting narrative that doesn’t look back on what might’ve been, “While You Wait” features perhaps the best harmonies of this decade – and that’s not an exaggeration. The voices of Droste and Rossen, along with bassist Chris Taylor and drummer Christopher Bear, fit together in a perfect mosaic, blending into one powerful voice that dips and soars with ease. The teasing suspension by Droste before each time the harmony resolves will leave the tune stuck in your head for hours, but you’ll enjoy every minute that it’s up there.

Despite possessing these two standouts, Veckatimest should be listened to from start to finish in order to appreciate the full mastery put on display. For most of the album, Grizzly Bear put down the acoustic guitars and banjos from Yellow House and picked up strings, xylophones, bells, and even vocal choirs to give Veckatimest a much fuller sound. The instruments and vocals are beautifully layered and balanced, and it is obvious that there were many hours spent in the studio to perfect the album to its final product.

I thought that Veckatimest’s major appeal is the amount of experimentation that it has and how nearly every one of its experiments turned out successfully. “Southern Point” is an acoustic flight that never really takes its foot off the gas, and works as a great opener for the album “All We Ask” is a great call-and-answer that features the disparaged musings of Droste followed by the ghostly reassurance of Rossen which almost seems to smile. “Cheerleader” features a great bass line, while “Ready, Able” could carry one of the next Twilight films (and be much more intriguing than the actual plot of the movie).

This is to not to say that Veckatimest does not have a few misfires – in other words, no it is not perfect. “Dory” is a bit aimless and too abstract, while “About Face” and “Hold Still” tend to drag, especially when compared – perhaps unfairly – to “While You Wait” which immediately follows. Still, you have to respect Grizzly Bear’s effort on these tracks to break away from the cookie-cutter mold of tension and release.

The ending of Veckatimest is what will really stick with you. Starting with “While You Wait” the final three songs of the album has the immense power that reminds me at least somewhat of the feeling you get after finishing Abbey Road or Sgt. Pepper, where you sit motionless for a second after the final chord and think to yourself, “Wow, was that epic!” “I Live With You” is magnificent, containing the signature Grizzly Bear chill with anvil-heavy guitar pounding that will rattle your eardrums – all building into a crescendo until releasing to the solemn piano notes of “Foreground”. Veckatimest’s final track is a stark contrast to the previous song, scaling back while lamenting of a frustrating routine until finishing with an angelic choir and string arrangement.

An unfortunate result of creating this masterpiece is that Grizzly Bear might never be able to match this level again – and this is only their third studio LP. Veckatimest will most likely be the record that defines the band, similar to IV for Led Zeppelin and Joshua Tree for U2. It’s going to be fun to see Grizzly Bear try to perfect the wheel though, and secretly I’m rooting for them to succeed.