Grizzly Bear - Shields

Local HMV hasn't even got any copies of this in yet; they're due 25 but they haven't arrived from the distributor yet. 12 years ago, my brother was the local rep for this distributor, and there's no fucking way they'd not have had copies of an album with this status in stores already; things really have changed.

Shameless self-linking http://www.uncut.co.uk/grizzly-bear-shields-review

That's dull Sick Mouthy. I picked it up on vinyl in Fopp. They must've had a good half dozen plus loads of CD's.

I feel like I'm the only one that's been holding off hearing this until I can get a physical copy. Then again that's how I feel with most new releases these days.

A 9+ review on Pitchfork must boost sales big time. Will be interested to see how much bigger they get.

Got a copy!

does jay-z like this record?

Jay Z loves it. Can't get enough of it. I think i saw him buy like 50 copies at Other Music today during the listening party. He's really REALLY INTO it. Jay LOVES IT

i haven't bought a CD is awhile now, going to buy this one.

A 9+ review on Pitchfork must boost sales big time. Will be interested to see how much bigger they get.

― InternetAlan, Monday, September 17, 2012 6:45 AM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i mean, if they were Yamatanka Sonic Titan, sure. This band is already headlining the Hollywood Bowl and Radio City Music Hall. Thinking a score from a music webpage is gonna boost their profile at this point is like wondering what kanye thought of his 10.0

I assume, being in Britain, that Alan's talking about their UK profile, which hasn't been massive previously, and P4K's a bigger deal over thsi side of the pond than it was for Veckatimest.

"i mean, if they were Yamatanka Sonic Titan"

great band btw!

Yeah, I'm talking about their UK profile. Don't get me wrong, they already fill reasonable sized venues here as it is but there's a big leap between where they are presently and the level of success achieved by someone like Bon Iver on the back of his recent well reviewed LP.

There is generally a bit of a gulf in the popularity of a lot of Pitchfork friendly bands here than in the US from what I can tell. Someone like Spoon for example have zero profile here whereas I’m lead to believe they’re quite well known in the states.

not to make this a pfork thread, but just got an email from a local venue that included pf review scores for upcoming bands. :(

although i think i know who sends these out and he's a dick whose true love is xtian emo bands.

wondering what kanye thought of his 10.0

tbf, i'm surpised kanye didn't get a '10.0' tattoo somewhere

He did, we just can't see it.

I think and hope that a band who puts out a record of this high quality would be oblivious to Pitchfork numbers and/or message board response.

Yeah, this is pretty awesome. Their best yet. Their songwriting gets more focused, their instrumentation more forceful, but there's still amazing subtlety here, absolutely fucking formidable chops and interplay. Only Southern Point, Two Weeks, and While You Wait For The Others would fit on here in terms of focus and energy, I think.

One thing slightly confuzzles me, though, about them; they have such an ornate, intriguing, elaborate, mysterious, dreamy sound and aesthetic, and yet so often such prosaic song titles. Feels really at odds sometimes.

i wish the whole record was as muscular and tortoise-y as 'sleeping ute'

The end of Yet Again is muscular as hell. And Speak In Rounds. There are flurries elsewhere, but nothing as consistently as Sleeping Ute, granted.

Veckatimest never fully hybridized Ed and Dan's songwriting voices the way Yellow House and Shields do. I mean, I liked every Veckatimest song on its own, but the contrast in sentiment between "I live with you" / "...Others" and "Two weeks" / "Cheerleader" / "Foreground" was not all that complimentary. Dan's seriousness made Ed's breeziness feel lightweight. And vice versa; Ed's stuff made Dan's songs sound wilfully difficult and mean. Tiny complaints! Veckatimest is rad. But I think Shields is an amazing thing to hear as a followup.

So I am the only one here who doesn't get this forced, hipster-prog wankfest, what 'Shields' is.
OK, not that bad, but both 'Yellow House' and 'Veckatimest' were much more likeable records, and this is a way overrated.

Think I prefer Veckatimest as a whole but this has some very good moments.

i don't really like dan that much but i love ed a lot so while i understand where a post like owen's is coming from, that there's a richness in the synthesis of their songwriting styles, to me it kind of sounds like, i don't know, if ringo were singing lead on 3/4 of beatles songs. "yet again" is great.

So I am the only one here who doesn't get this forced, hipster-prog wankfest, what 'Shields' is.

i don't get it either! i've been trying to because people whose taste i trust are into them/this album, then i saw GB live yesterday and only lasted for four songs bc i was bored :/ i can hear some of what Owen P's hearing in Speak in Rounds though.

the griz are not for everyone, i wouldn't sweat it

"forced, hipster-prog wankfest" made me immediately want to listen to it

lol

I hope it's their most forced, wanky album to date.

haha everything i can't stand about indie rock

i'm certainly not sweating it

I really liked Yellow House, thought Veckatimest was fine, but I just do not get the accolades for this one. I'm not feeling any heart in these songs. Everything feels so futzed over and measured that they become virtually lifeless. Fwiw, the best thing they've probably done was the Friends EP.

i just find it funny that people i know are like "ooh all those weird sounds and harmonies, amazing!" and i listen to GB and feel nothing, like a sweatless robot

First couple of tracks are not wowing me -- there haven't been any of those hang-glider suddenly over the grand canyon moments yet.

I don't really find this wanky, but I do agree that it's kind of lifeless.

I mean, right now this is number 2 on the 2012 charts for highest rated albums by RateYourMusic listeners (lol @ using that as a measure, but still) right behind the Swans record. It just blows my mind that people would be rating this nearly as highly as that.

i thought you would like the first one, hurting (it's definitely the proggiest to my ears).

this record is neat! the songs all sound really twisty and deliberately plotted which sets up these great sun-through-the-clouds moments where they briefly unwind into a familiar sequence of chords or melodic phrase before spiraling back off again

i think 'gun-shy' is my favorite track thus far

I didn't dislike the first track, xp, I just found it a bit unmemorable. The rest of the album moreso, especially compared with past records.

i wish they made a pure rock album. it might sound great.

I wish they went back to vocal harmonies and unusual song structures.

yeah that would be nice too. yellow house style

Good work cameoing at GB's Massey Hall show earlier tonight, Ówen--"Half Gate" was esp. amazing.

Craig you should've texted me!

Grizzly Bear Are Indie-Rock Royalty, But What Does That Buy Them in 2012? - Nitsuh Abebe

Great piece. The financial struggle of musicians these days really concerns me.

Yeah, interesting topic, but perhaps not the best band choice to demonstrate it. I mean, it's kind of hard to feel sorry for Droste and his financial woes when his family owns their own island.

Owns their own island? Is it a big island? Does it make them any money? Can / do they live there?

uh that's wrong, no one owns an island

Yeah, I'm wondering if there's confusion there between album titles / recording locations. Droste's grandma owns a yellow house.

yes she owns a house on cape cod in massachusetts, vecky was named after a small island off the coast of cape cod.

http://www.stereogum.com/1166392/debating-the-grizzly-bear-ny-mag-story-and-making-a-living-making-music/top-stories/lead-story

Doug is the frontman of Brooklyn-based experimental metal band Pyrrhon, about whom Decibel Magazine said, “Outré as they get, everything Pyrrhon do emanates from an obsidian death metal core — just that this music is that much more expressive, its impact that much more disquieting than almost anything else in the genre.”

Doug Moore: The New York Mag piece on Grizzly Bear makes me feel lucky to be a member of a generation of musicians who never expected to be able to quit their day jobs.

ah fuck meant to post that in other thread

http://www.youtube.com/liveatthehouse

Edward Droste @edwarddroste
#tbt to when we were on the cover of NY mag and they made it look like we were broke and complaining. Good times.

Edward Droste @edwarddroste
That article really pulled the rug out from under us! We were led to believe it was essentially a history of us....lol! Nope!

Judging by his instragram, Ed's doing alright.

good 2 know

How does Ed know Megan Amram? Seems like they're always hanging out and tweeting at each other.