We get the best of both worlds - a psychedelic mish-mash of unique song structures, intricate ornamentation and beautiful vocals.įinding this terrain where abstract experimentalism meets catchy melodies can often be elusive, but Grizzly Bear roam across it with confidence. Grizzly Bear expertly combine the cerebral, technically tricky art-rock of Dirty Projectors with the pleasant folk harmonies and lush arrangements of Fleet Foxes. It remains difficult to relate to Grizzly Bear’s lyrics, but Shields’ skillful display of studio wizardry more than makes up for it. Shields improves upon Veckatimest’s formula by grabbing and maintaining your attention. Though its high points were amazing, its quality was not completely consistent throughout. Grizzly Bear’s 2009 contribution, Veckatimest, was a solid and beautiful effort, but it lagged at times. On their fourth album, the band has hit their stride, creating not only their best album but perhaps the most enjoyable album of the year. The bands that owned the “campus” three years ago - Animal Collective, Dirty Projectors, The xx and Grizzly Bear - have all released new records in 2012, but none are as remarkable as Grizzly Bear’s Shields. Where they go next may prove even more intriguing.There’s an “Indie Class of 2009” reunion this year, and Grizzly Bear just arrived fashionably late (with an emphasis on the “fashionably” part).
It’s an aesthetic rather than musical comparison, but – with songs shifting with casual precision, arrangements that are fluid and brave, and an honest, organic production – there’s a sense throughout that Grizzly Bear are on the cusp of a genuine breakthrough. In fact, Shields pushes and prods at musical boundaries in a similar way to Talk Talk’s 1986 masterpiece, The Colour of Spring. Challenging but accessible, like Jim O’Rourke bonding with Burt Bacharach, it confirms that Grizzly Bear’s measured approach – it’s taken them over three years to follow up Veckatimest – has again paid off. Shields’ highlight, however, is Sun in Your Eyes, a poised masterpiece in which every note seems carefully calculated to play a role in its repeated, explosive transformation from sparse piano ballad to jubilant anthem. Elsewhere, Half Gate builds from dreamy, nostalgic verses into a stormy racket of a chorus. Gun-Shy, meanwhile, is distinguished by intricate arrangements – twinkling guitar lines, keyboards that hint at Supertramp, vocals that sigh like a gentle breeze. But on What’s Wrong, Mellotron and restrained string arrangements drift amidst choral vocals and cymbal splashes before reaching a jazzy, serene finale. Yet Again – its melody nonchalantly addictive, its bridge a loving nod to the sparkle of 80s synth pop, its climax noisily retro-futuristic – and the galloping A Simple Answer – a winning combination of Beach Boys harmonies and Glitter Band stomp – provide the collection’s immediate thrills. Though Shields consequently makes for a frustrating listen at first, it slowly reveals a band confounding expectations with a rare imagination. But the quartet has refused to sacrifice any of the complexity that provided such rich rewards for repeated listens of their previous outings. Not that they've lost any of their sensitivity: the track concludes with a pastoral coda that's as lovely as the music preceding it was lively. With opening track Sleeping Ute's initially perplexing time signature and the subsequent psychedelic noises that tear from the speaker to speaker, it's clear success hasn’t mellowed Grizzly Bear.
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