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Veckatimest

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Grizzly Bear

 
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Veckatimest
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Avg: 4.0 (2375 ratings)

Droste and co. discover wilder, more beautiful pastures outside the Yellow House

  • We Say...

    Review by Jayson Greene

    Confession: I don't love Yellow House. Despite repeated attempts, I reliably glaze over somewhere during the record's slightly dolorous final third. That I keep wading back in is testament both to the record's enormous promise and to its handful of moments of undeniable, breath-catching brilliance — the morning-in-Disneyland glow of "Easier" for instance, or the Ronnie Spector desert mirage "Knife," or the shuddering minor-key waltz chords of "Marla." But too much of the album feels like a collection of immaculate arrangements in search of something sturdy and meaningful to drape around. It reminds me of sitting in my practice room in college, holding down the foot pedal on the piano and banging out major chords just to hear them resound.

    Veckatimest, the Technicolor followup to the Monet washes of Yellow House, changes all of that right out of the gate. "Southern Point" drifts in on alternating minor chords, but thanks to a refreshingly brisk rhythm section (previous Grizzly Bear records sounded like they were drummed on lilypads), it manages the neat trick of sounding simultaneously dark and sprightly. Then, one minute in, the song takes flight — after a little anticipatory rhythmic flutter, it arcs upwards dizzily, careening through a succession of bridges and subsections with a giddy energy heretofore completely unknown to the band. As usual, there are little dabs of instrumental color in all corners of the mix: chimes, keyboards, swelling strings — they whoosh by like gorgeous scenery flying past a train window. By the time "Southern Point" deposits you back in your seat, five minutes later, your hair is blown back, your cheeks are ruddy, and you're ready for anything.

    "Two Weeks," the following track, is a brightly shimmering, widescreen '60s pop bounce, and it feels like the first glimpse of new, greener pastures after "Southern Point" has sent you tumbling down the rabbit hole. Easily as indelible as "Knife" with none of its ghostly creepiness, a formally tidy little Beach Boys tribute that somehow doesn't feel the least bit fussy, "Two Weeks" is a flat-out stunner of a pop song, and a worthy hook for all of Droste and co.'s filigree.

    The rest of the album isn't perfect — Grizzly Bear seem unable, or unwilling, to record an album without a drowsy middle third. But the other highlights — the jaunty Harry Nilsson swing of "All We Ask"; the wordless plainsong harmonies of "Fine For Now"; and, particularly, the slow-sunset ballad "Foreground" rank as the most fully realized and compelling music this Brooklyn group of pop classicists has ever recorded.

  • They Say...

    Review by Heather Phares, All Music Guide

    It's hard to decide what the most impressive thing about Veckatimest is: Grizzly Bear's ambition, which is seemingly boundless, or the fact that this boundless ambition never eclipses these songs. The band already made such an impressive leap from Horn of Plenty to Yellow House that an album to catch their breath would have been understandable. However, Grizzly Bear are most comfortable when they're challenging themselves, and Veckatimest delivers everything that Yellow House did and more. Just as that album blew off the dust and noise that covered Horn of Plenty's lo-fi sketches, this album's production clears away any remaining cobwebs, revealing these songs in all their intricate detail. That detail includes string quartet and choral arrangements by composer and conductor Nico Muhly on some tracks, but all of Veckatimest has a more rarefied air than any of Grizzly Bear's previous work. The band hints at the just how big the album's scope is with its first two tracks: "Southern Point"'s psychedelic folk-jazz throws listeners into its bustling acoustic guitars, piles of vocal harmonies, swishy drums, and various sparkling sounds, making it a disorienting and dazzling opening salvo. The gorgeous "Two Weeks," by contrast, is the album's most immediate moment, its "Would you always? Maybe sometimes? Make it easy? Take your time" chorus teetering elegantly between pleading and reassuring as it's buoyed by backing vocals courtesy of Beach House's Victoria LeGrand. From there, Veckatimest ranges from Yellow House-like rambles such as "Hold Still" and "Dory" -- which plays like a kissing cousin to "Little Brother" -- to elaborate, quicksilver suites like "I Live with You," which builds from the Brooklyn Youth Choir's vocals into skyward-climbing chamber pop, to "While You Wait for the Others" and "Cheerleader"'s deceptively simple pop. At the heart of all these songs are negotiations with someone close, as on "All We Ask"'s admission "I can't get out of what I'm into with you." Though the sheer heft of songs such as "Fine for Now" could easily topple the album's balance between ambition and intimacy, Grizzly Bear knows when to come in for close-focus moments like "About Face" and the final track, "Foreground" which, with its plaintive vocals and simple piano melody, is one of the band's most beautiful ballads yet. It's clear that Veckatimest was made for a lot of listening. Nearly every song feels like the musical equivalent of a big meal: there's lots to digest, and coming back for second (and thirds, and more) is necessary.

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