Grizzly Bear’s resurgence in 2009 could’ve easily been wrecked due to the early leak of it’s new stunning album, Veckatimest, but the final product was too good to pass up. Their newest effort expands on what the band has accomplished in the past and goes beyond all expectations. Their previous release, Yellow House, had standout tracks as well, such as the hit single “Knife” and tempo shifting “One A Neck, On A Spit”. The band comes back with their fearless effort and it proves that these guys know what works.
Veckatimest expands on what Grizzly Bear does best. Lead track “Southern Point” sets the tone perfectly, with Daniel Rossen’s soft vocals and short guitar riffs, singing “the haven on the Southern Point is calling us” into an explosion of psychedelic folk at it’s best. Vocally the band uses all four members to create a sound scape of harmonies, creating incredible melodies highlighted throughout the album on standouts “Two Weeks” and “While You Wait For The Others”.
Ed Droste, the first “original” member of Grizzly Bear (as it started as his own project before recruiting other members) stands out much more on Veckatimest then in past records. At this point, “Two Weeks” just seems to show off his vocals to the fullest, as well as on the slow building tracks “Cheerleader” and album closer “Foreground”. The children’s orchestra also added the icing on the cake for this melodically-rich effort from the band. Veckatimest may be difficult to pronounce on first sight, but there’s no confusing the significance of the album and how it captivates the listener throughout with it’s stunning qualities of musicianship and grace, making it one of the best releases of 2009.
Here’s our countdown towards WPGU’s Album of the Year:
20. Jay-Z: The Blueprint 3
19. Manchester Orchestra: Mean Everything To Nothing
18. Wolfmother: Cosmic Egg
17. The Flaming Lips: Embryonic
16. Miike Snow: Miike Snow
15. Discovery: LP
14. Silversun Pickups: Swoon
13. Julian Casablancas: Phrazes for the Young
12. Andrew Bird: Noble Beast
11. The Avett Brothers: I and Love and You
10. Japandroids: Post-Nothing
9. Arctic Monkeys: Humbug
8. Yeah Yeah Yeahs: It’s Blitz!
7. St. Vincent: Actor
6. Wilco: Wilco (The Album)
5. Dirty Projectors: Bitte Orca
4. Animal Collective: Merriweather Post Pavilion
3. Grizzly Bear: Veckatimest
#2 coming soon…stay tuned!
Related Posts
