Album Review: Grizzly Bear - Shields

Grizzly Bear
Shields
Rating: Woof Daddy

Grizzly Bear's last record Veckatimest wasn't so much their breakthrough album as it was a light-year leap ahead sonically and creatively. It was a dense, challenging listen that still held up as one of the great pop albums of this century. I will admit that when I got the follow up Shields in my inbox I was hesitant to even load it on my iPod for fear it would end up being horribly disappointing or at worst, merely ok. Thankfully, the two teaser tracks "Sleeping Ute" and "Yet Again" were classic Grizzly Bear and made me less apprehensive about diving into their first new music in years. In comparison with Veckatimest, Shields is a more streamlined record, less complex and more direct; not to say that Grizzly Bear have become The xx or anything, there is just more economy at play. As with the new record from The xx, the retreat to a more minimal palate seems and feels right here, as if the band knew that taking things in the opposite direction would have been a step backward. In fact, I am actually willing to say that, while Shields lacks the amazing impact Veckatimest made, Shields has a better flow and pace. As brilliant as Veckatimest is, there is a noticeable lull in the middle of the record that took me awhile to break through, whereas Shields does not have that same issue.

Shields opens strongly with "Sleeping Ute" with amazing interplay between vaguely psychedelic guitars, blasts of organs and keyboards, and the amazing rhythm section of Chris Taylor on bass and Christopher Bear on drums. There is a brilliant tension at play in the track, all held together by Daniel Rossen's haunting vocals.



"Yet Again" also highlights the more direct nature of the record. Under jaunty guitars and delicate harmonies, the track builds steadily into a late guitar freak out.



But while there are moments of chaos, the album is all about control, and how masterfully the band works together. From the gorgeous restraint of album highlight "Gun-Shy" which incorporates more subtle electronic elements,



the pounding drums and pianos of the lilting "A Simple Answer," and the rollicking "Speak In Rounds,"



Shields shows how the band works effortlessly at catchy, orchestral pop. But what I really liked about the album was that it wasn't just Veckatimest 2, there is subtle, yet real growth here. Though I doubt it is overt, there seems to be a slightly jazzy feel to the tracks, and a willingness to open up and let them go where they need to go. I even detect a late period Talk Talk influence running through the record, although more controlled and less ambient. Tracks like "What's Wrong" drift and wander through breathy harmonies, subtle percussion, and rising strings. The brilliant "Half Gate" begins quietly with gentle guitars over military drums, before almost collapsing in a swirl of multitracked vocals and horns and strings,



while the elegantly melancholy "The Hunt" glides along decaying pianos, creaking guitars, and whispered horns, and closer "Sun In Your Eyes" is an epic seven minutes of rising/falling crescendos of horns and swooping strings, with moments of tender beauty.

Ultimately, Shields stands on its own in the Grizzly Bear canon as its own beast. It definitely sounds like and is a Grizzly Bear album, but indicates that the band knows what they want to do with and in what direction they want to take their sound. From the folky warmth of Yellow House to the insane cacophonous brilliance of Veckatimest, to now the measured chaos and control of Shields, Grizzly Bear reasserts their claim to being one of the most exciting and creative rock bands in the world.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and piques one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.