"Sleeping Ute" moves so evocatively and theatrically like water that it sounds like a big-budget radio play of The Tempest. "If I could be still as that gray hill," Rossen pines, before giving into an admission of humanness: "But I can't help myself." Chris Bear's drum rolls emulate thunder while chords crest with the rhythm of waves. Shields' spectacular opener, " Sleeping Ute", is the lone track retained from an aborted early session in Marfa, Tex., and it feels like a continuation down the path Daniel Rossen ambled on his 2012 solo EP, Silent Hour/Golden Mile, which sought solace from a busy life in the elements. Shields feels like a summation of Grizzly Bear's strengths, drawing a line from the muddy, minor key sonic palette of Ed Droste's home-recorded Horn of Plenty and stringing it to the heels of boundless ambition. But the rewards that come from immersing yourself in it are odd and profound. It's also a demanding record, without an instantly gratifying single like " Knife" or " Two Weeks" to hook restless ears. The album is an excavation of loneliness, melancholy, and self-reliance.
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Though full of baroque, detail-rich production and latticework melodies, Shields also offers an emotionally resonant core. Shields, the band's fourth and most compositionally adventurous record, should put those concerns to bed. While there's no question that Grizzly Bear's last two records have sounded gorgeous, critics of the band have wondered if that's enough. Taking cues from artists like Talk Talk and Van Dyke Parks, the Brooklyn four-piece make pop music with an ear for the ambient, asking us to notice the importance in detail, the beauty of texture, and the foregrounds that exist all across our spectrum of perception.
Whether it's the ethereal, friendly-ghost vibes of Yellow House or Veckatimest's pristine chamber pop, Grizzly Bear create music in deep focus what's going on in the margins of their songs is just as important and expressive as the center. The key word there is "a," signifying one of many. Maybe it caught me at the wrong moment as I didn’t want a challenge but wanted an experience! I am not sure how Shields will play out after several more listens but I will admit that it is a true grower and who knows, Grizzly Bear could still strike my inner chord, as hoped, down the road but for right now I am holding my reviewer ground on this outing."This is a foreground." That was the last lyric left hovering in the mist of Grizzly Bear's breakout 2009 album, Veckatimest, and it's a pretty good image to describe what it's like to listen to one of their records. Shields by any means is not a bad album, but it just doesn’t seem like the follow up to Veckatimest that I was waiting for. Shields surprises are fast and loose and Grizzly Bear clearly wanted the listener reminded that this is a full marathon not just a quick mile run. The album definitely has a grand idea with an expansive canvas but for me it just didn’t have enough paint to finish the project. I know my review heavily favors the first half of the album but it was hard to pick up on the overall mood that Grizzly Bear was trying to create. If you take a listen to Radiohead’s “Knives Out” or most of anything off of Amnesiac, I believe you will hear what I am talking about. The fourth track, “Yet Again”, heavily says Radiohead to the listening brain and while that seems like high praise it still has a slight been there done that feel to it. It keeps the energy lofted and is a fine track, although it still feels like something is missing and maybe could have used a bit more exploration. The next track, “Speak in Rounds”, makes a call back to the frenzy, flutter strum of Veckatimest opener “Southern Point” which is quite a high complement. In my mind I wanted the track to continue the buildup that I know Grizzly Bear is capable of. The song then ends with what may be conceived as a whimper that left me wanting a bit more. The first track, “Sleeping Ute“, seems to be heading in the right direction for the same Veckatimest grandiosity with a clever chord bounce that leads into a swirling fury or instrumentation that evokes some of the grandest dream pop. Here Grizzly Bear returns with the follow up, Shields, a more expansive album that soars in sections but at certain points may be too sparse for its own good. The album was a dream wonderland of exhilaration you could close your eyes and float away with ease. crafted an album were vocals soared, guitars fluttered, pianos pounded, and drums thundered. The musical craftsmanship, harmonies, and hype for the record were all there and it was warranted. Fire Note Says: While it feels like the framework of greatness is there, Grizzly Bear’s new album, Shields, doesn’t quite match their last top performer Veckatimest.Īlbum Review: Grizzly Bear’s last record, Veckatimest, topped the chart and was number one in our 2009 Blazing Top 50 year end countdown.