By Joel Smart (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: September 26, 2012
“Who is this playing?”
It was a demand I am somewhat known for. This time, it was three in the morning, sitting around a dwindling fire in the backyard of a ramshackle house in downtown Abbotsford. “Grizzly Bear” was the simple reply. Their experimental style of folk rock was both surreal and core-wrenchingly sincere. Something about their sound captures a realness – a deep, thoughtful questioning, not unlike the sound of Radiohead, which is an apt comparison considering they used to open for the British band. It impacted me that night in a way I can’t fully explain.
Shields, Grizzly Bear’s new 10-track album, is full of surprising moments – moments that reach out to you, catch you off guard and send your mind spinning off in a new direction. It’s a daring venture, experimenting and exploring in a number of songs that won’t work for a mainstream audience. While I’d argue that Shields as a whole is masterful, four songs transcend the album – they belong on your iPod. They need to be heard, to be thought about. These are the great ones.
In “Sleeping Ute,” the opening number, hints of ‘60s psychedelic rock arise out of the distorted guitars and synthesized backdrop. The vocals, which are soft yet impassioned, really take the track to a new level. It sets the tone, humble and earnest, with a greatness and brilliance lying just under the surface waiting to be discovered.
Destined to become a major hit, “Yet Again” hits all the right notes. It could very well be the song that puts Brooklyn-based Grizzly Bear on the map. It comes after, and in stark contrast to, Shields’ most experimental track, the one-minute-long “Adelma.” Not that “Adelma” doesn’t work, but while it looks as though it could have been put together in a short amount of time “Yet Again” must have been the magnum opus that the band belaboured over, ensuring each note was in its precise spot, each word sung just right. It works. If you only look up one track from this album on YouTube, this is the one it should be.
“A Simple Answer” could probably top the radio charts as well. It’s accessible, yet unique. As the song slowly builds, it gains layers of unique sounds, and then all at once it’s pulled away; only the vocals linger, echo, urging the song forward: “No wrong or right/ just do whatever you like.”
The album’s ninth track, “Half Gate,” has an intense opening and an ethereal middle before it really finds itself halfway through. It’s great the whole time, but the ending really sets it apart. It’s both memorable and ambitious. It really shows off the band’s versatility. “Gun Shy,” the song preceding “Half Gate,” is an excellent lead up to this track, and is certainly worth checking out as well.
Since I first asked about the band that night, I’ve found myself on the opposite side of the coin on several occasions. “Grizzly Bear,” I say with knowing eyes, “only one of the greatest bands!” I suspect Shields may turn a whole new group of music lovers onto the same idea.
