Band:	Grizzly Bear
Album:	Veckatimest

There is a noticeable difference between someone who puts in just enough effort to get by and someone who focuses on reaching perfection. There is a special degree of respect due when someone is able to dedicate that much effort to their craft. It is like a fine wine or an aged scotch. Every detail of the process to produce a bottle of Chivas Regal is managed to perfection and is revered for this dedication to quality. This is “Veckatimest”.

I defy you to find one piece of Grizzly Bear’s “Veckatimest” that is out of place. You can’t. There is not one note, not one drum hit or any other sound that has not been delicately placed in it’s position on this entire album. The attention to detail is immaculate. But does this attention to detail lead to songs that are something more than just a work of studio art? It is no simple task to play with metronome-like precision and still convey emotion, but Grizzly Bear pulls it off.

The album’s first single, “Two Weeks”, is already being praised as one of the best songs of 2009 and is certainly deserving. It is the most “uptempo” song on the album, with a piano that almost deviates from the minor key that is so prevalent on the rest of the album. It is also interesting to note that a song and album which rarely even reaches forte, can seemingly have such a range of dynamics. That is where the planning and craftsmanship plays its biggest role. The correct placement of harmonies and back-up vocals, the right timing of drum fills and syncopated bass guitar strikes all contribute to a composition that develops an ebb and flow that seems more suited to a jazz album than other forms of modern music. “Southern Point” is another example of their incredible use of dynamics.  The songs builds this incredible amount of tension which gets washed away when one final strike of the piano removes everything but the vocals and acoustic guitar from the mix.

The instrumentation continues to work overtime through the rest of the album, but it is the drumming that I find most interesting.  Christopher Bear, Grizzly Bear’s drummer, often opts for fills instead of straight beats and includes interesting percussive elements including a variety of cymbals and differing drum sounds on each song.  “All We Ask”, “Southern Point”, “Two Weeks”, “While You Wait for the Others”, basically every song on “Veckatimest” is a stunning example of the drum work.

If there was a weakness, it would be Ed Droste’s vocals. He has an approach to singing that is seemingly lazy and he often falls into what is best described as a “coffeehouse groove”. With all the other lushness, texture and reverb, he tends to sit dryly in the middle of the track instead of commanding it like a stronger vocalist would. That is not to say it is all that way, tracks like “While You Wait for the Others”, “Two Weeks”, “Foreground” and “Hold Still” shows Droste at his best, when he is outside of his comfort zone and stretching his range.

Like any fine wine, there is a time, a place and a purpose. If you are looking for something other than a soothing listen, something that will help you relax after a long day, then this is the wrong album for you. At the wrong place and the wrong time, this album, which barely reaches a mid-tempo, may be considered boring or it may miss the mark. “Veckatimest” seemingly invites the polarizing effects of its music as it delicately walks the line between lush brilliance and uncharismatic dryness. But for those to whom the album falls on the side of the former, you may be hard pressed to find a better album this year.

Grizzly Bear Official Site
Grizzly Bear on MySpace
Grizzly Bear - “Veckatimest” on Amazon

Release Date: May 26th, 2009

“Veckatimest” - Tracklist
(* recommended tracks)

1. Southern Point*
2. Two Weeks*
3. All We Ask
4. Fine For Now*
5. Cheerleader
6. Dory
7. Ready, Able
8. About Face
9. Hold Still*
10. While You Wait For the Others*
11. I Live With You
12. Foreground*

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