Grizzly Bear

they got reviewed in pitchfork today in a favorable way and got listed on dusted. they're coming to my town soon and for this i am very happy. in the full disclosure area, the singer is my friend which is perhaps somewhat awkward to note given the latter bit of this thread. but they are fully deserving of the attention... anyone feeling this shit yet?

Friday, March 25, 2005; Page WE08

GRIZZLY BEAR "Horn of Plenty"Kanine

While hip-hop, teen-pop and nu-metal battle for the future, a new generation of psychedelic folkies has unexpectedly arisen. From Tokyo to Stockholm to (of course) Brooklyn, N.Y., these troubadours make music that's odd, quiet and sometimes irksomely childlike; they may use electronics, but rely heavily on acoustic guitars and intimate vocals. Although hardly the goofiest of the lot, Grizzly Bear is not unrepresentative.

The 14 tracks on "Horn of Plenty" began as Brooklyn singer-songwriter Edwin Droste's demos and didn't become substantially more ornate once Christopher Bear appended his singing and playing. (Since the album was recorded, multi-instrumentalist Chris Taylor has also joined.) Actually, there are many layers to these recordings; they aren't simply unplugged guitar and untempered sincerity. Yet the album's sound is deliberately scruffy, a blend of homemade electronica, languid raga-rock and lots of reverb. With their drowsy melodies, boys' choir harmonies and low-tech effects, such songs as "Showcase" and "Merge" resemble a back-porch jam session's take on "Good Vibrations."

If such comparisons suggest Grizzly Bear is a little precious and more than a little half-baked, that's about right. By the standards of this newly reborn genre, however, "Horn of Plenty" is reasonably focused and unusually tuneful. It's a somewhat vague trip, but not a bad one.

-- Mark Jenkins

Appearing Monday at DC9 with the Chance and Something for Rockets

makes no sense whatsoever

A++++ highly recommended

Man, the acappella version of "Knife" from the kexp compilation is quite astounding.

love that video

I was literally listening to Knife when I came on ILM and this was the top thread.

Freaky.

Been listening to Yellow House a lot lately. Wonderful record.

yes it really is wonderful. the alternate version of "Easier" that they released as a single is much greater than the, already great, original version.

It cracks me up that they played with Something for Rockets.

Schreiber reviewed the new Friend EP today and gave it BNM.

I may have to go pick this up.

good show in ny couple of days ago.nice atmosphere.
good band for watching while seating.

Funny Grizzly Bear(ish) story.

xxxpost i hate when reviewers go through an album song-by-song in a review.

Nice new song played on kcrw.

http://mfrost.typepad.com/cute_overload/images/2008/06/20/animal_style.jpg

why are they not bad?

Anyone up for a bit of verbal masturbation over the songs they've been previewing recently? "While You Wait for the Others" and "Two Weeks" are far and away the best things I've heard this year. And I second the love for the acapella on the street version of "Knife".

Very nice harmonies, but aside from that, this is another band whose appeal I don't get (aside from the awesome Knife). The new song on their MySpace page -- While You Wait for the Others -- is okay, but indistinct (which is my complaint about most of their songs).

One of the few remaining arguments for paying attention to indie.

seriously brilliant.

I keep hearing "brilliant!" about Grizzy Bear. Maybe they're just not made for my (lol old lol) ears. I'll try listening to the band again.

It's good to listen to them in order, that is start with horn of plenty. First few tracks of Friend EP are probably the best thing they've ever done though. Alligator Choir version esp

I just saw them live, and I'm more impressed with them as a live act than I am with them on record. The harmonies just seemed so much stronger and less buried in the mix. They should really bring them out more on the recordings, because that's their strongest point.

don't you like the ambiguity that it lends?

I saw Grizzy Bear do live backing vocals (of Knife) to a Girl Talk song on Pitchfork.tv recently (I think it happened at last year's Pitchfork festival). Based on that live clip, I think Melissa's OTM.

They sound so fucking great it's near annoying. The Letterman version of Two Weeks sounds a bit muddy though is there a proper take on it anywhere?

xpost, this nearly put me off them

With Daniel: Knife is amazing, nothing else by the band has appealed to me half as much. Think they're better than okay, though.

(Was that faint enough? Is it still coming through?)

I assume all you Knife enthusiasts haven't heard Alligator (choir version) then?

On A Neck, On A Spit is better than Knife, surely?

^this

The new song on their MySpace page -- While You Wait for the Others -- is okay, but indistinct
Madness. The letterman version is what I'm basing my Two Weeks appreciation so can't be that muddy. The harmonies are certainly clear.

On A Neck, On A Spit is better than Knife, surely?

Not to me, but I may be bats--t crazy, I guess. In fact, in ILX talk, Knife >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On A Neck (to me).

blogotheque grizzly bear made me realise this

Knife isn't even in the top tier of the songs on Yellow House.