Grizzly Bear- Veckatimest Review

Photo: Tom Hines

Review By: Stephen Tompkins

Grizzly Bear, the Brooklyn based pop-folk band is coming out of hibernation, their third full-length album, Veckatimest named after an uninhabited island in Massachusetts is set to release May 26 on Warp Records.
With nearly two years past since the release of the critically acclaimed Friend EP, a lot of buzz has begun surrounding Veckatimest over the past few weeks. Mostly I’ve heard everyone saying how jovial and upbeat it is supposed to be in comparison to previous Grizzly Bear releases, and at brief times it can be. See “Two Weeks,” featuring Victoria Legrand of Beach House on backing vocals, which is perhaps the most poppy song Grizzly Bear has written to date (think the ‘60s pop sensibility of Rubber Soul.) But for the most part, Veckatimest is just as full of haunting folk ballads, if not more so, than 2004’s Horn of Plenty and 2007’s Yellow House.
Veckatimest has all of the staples you’ll expect from Grizzly Bear, from the hypnotic dream-like sounds of the album opener “Southern Point,” which really gets going when a killer computerized-sounding riff kicks in, to the duel-layering vocal patterns of guitarist Ed Droste and Bassist Chris Taylor over hollow church choir-esque background noise in “Cheerleader.”
“All We Ask,” comes fully-equipped, including delicate harmonies and hand claps, while “Fine for Now,” experiments with echoing vocal harmonies over lo-fi etherized acoustic guitar and tight and loosened snare drum.
For the most part “Ready, Able,” is a droned out down-tempo Joy Division knock-off song that I wouldn’t imagine making the album, if it weren’t for the kick ass organ riff fit for an appearance on a 13th Floor Elevators album, that chimes in at 1:47.
The live recording of “While You Wait for the Others,” which can be heard on Grizzly Bear’s MySpace, is far better than the over-produced version that made the album and was what really had me excited for Veckatimest in the first place. On the album's version the guitars are so subdued that at times it feels like an A Capella song and it only becomes worthy of the album because of the intense chorus build-up and full-fledged release.
Grizzly Bear picked a great time to emerge from the cave, as Veckatimest will likely serve as a haunting soundtrack to around-the-fire-parties all summer long.