Issue #10 of 5SIAR has had some complications for the past week or so. When I say complications I mean I haven't really had the inspiration or the time to really sit down and write. But a wise man once told me that the only way to battle writer's block is to just sit down and write. To just do it. Of course that little bit of advice made me think of the Nike "Just Do It" ad campaign which in turn made me think of the movie from the poster above. I figured saying "Just Deux It" instead of "Just Do It" would sound funnier to me and therefore put me in a better place and mood to write. The chicken and Sheen's 1990's coiffed Stallone-esque hair work just as well, too. And now, on with Issue #10 of 5 Songs In A Row.
I wanted my tenth issue of 5SIAR to be a really good one. It seemed just doing the usual shuffle of five random songs from my ipod wasn't special enough for this issue. Instead, I decided to pay homage to my favorite band as of right now considering I haven't really given a band that title since I listened to Tool in high school. Tool deserved it, and now Grizzly Bear deserves it.
"This Song"When Ed Droste started Grizzly Bear in his apartment with nothing but a 4-track and a few instruments, I'm certain that he was not aware of the grandeur and rep his project would achieve only a few short years later. What began as something as simple as one man crooning out short lo-fi lullabies has turned into an extreme buzz-worthy and deserving collective of musicians that not only titillate the ears, but the inner spirit as well.
It all begins in ground zero for a lot of the more current indie-rock influenced music from the east coast - New York City, NY - an area rich with the culture and inspiration that has also spawned some of the music world's other heavily regarded acts such as TV on the Radio, Interpol, The Strokes, and The Yeah Yeah Yeahs. They all began from the same single idea to make something that the masses want to hear and enjoy. Some end up on shaky ground while others, like Grizzly Bear, just keep churning out solid jams one right after the other.
Grizzly Bear's first album, Horn Of Plenty, is almost all atmosphere that's dense with odd-noised synth mods, scarce drum patterns, acoustic guitar, and of course Droste's signature butter-soft voice made grainy by tape hiss and toast crumbs. It's folk, but the little hints and tinges of electronic make it seem as if it would be the folk album chained to the inside of Aphex Twin's head clawing to get out.
This album would serve as a basis for what Ed would eventually turn his project into along with fellow songwriter Daniel Rossen manning the guitar duties, Chris Taylor on bass, and Chris Bear on percussion and drums. All of them sing harmonies in the songs which give it that folk feel that's also been brought to light by Fleet Foxes. These four men and their voices formed an indie-powerhouse capable of even cutting into the mainstream with a sharp knife and disrupting the status quo of the Billboard Music Chart with their sharp riffs, hooks, poise, and charm.
"Little Brother (Electric)"We're gonna have a song from every GB album in this post. It is, after all, a strictly Grizzly 5SIAR, so there will be something for everyone. You say you only like the Friend EP; though I don't know why you would only like a certain album from these guys and nothing else? We have your track right here. A completely plugged version of the same song from Yellow House (we're getting there, hold on). Since it's electric I can't help but wonder if Chris Bear went ahead and used an electric drum kit for the recording as well. You know, to make it hold true to its full namesake. I highly doubt it though. Part of what makes GB so gorgeously fantastic is Chris Bear's sudden calm to heavy style of taking a particular song - for instance, this one - to another level.
Percussion and drums aside, the foremost highlight of this ditty is, in my opinion, Rossen's guitar tone. I know he uses an acoustic/electric of some kind (Gibson?), but what is he using on top of that as far as effects goes? He can't be running completely dry. Some delay and some reverb obviously, but that can't be all he's using. If there are any guitar virtuosos out there reading this and listen to Grizzly Bear, please leave a comment with your thoughts and opinions on what Mr. Rossen is using for most if not all of the electric GB songs, as well as his other, and just as equally sonically persuasive band, Department of Eagles.
A friend of mine recently attended a GB show in her home town of Austin, TX. She said, and I quote, "at times they were very metal." I can only surmise which songs actually sounded "metal", but I'm sure "Little Brother" would have been pretty rockin' if it was played electric. They have certainly rocked enough to catch the attention of Trent Reznor who recently spoke with Newsweek and mentioned GB-
"The band Grizzly Bear, I think they're excellent. There's a beauty and a musicality there that I wish would have been in vogue in the late '80s, when I was forming bands. The aesthetic I was tuned into was a more dumbed-down kind of thing. Sometimes listening to stuff like they're doing makes me feel irrelevant. That's a nice, healthy kick in the ass. And it's interesting to see there's room for that in what's considered hip these days." -Trent Reznor
A GB influenced NIN album? I would really love to hear that. Make it happen, Trent. There'll be a cool shiny nickel in it for ya.
"Fine For Now"THE album of the summer. No, I'm not kidding. It might even be THE album of the year, but I'm not ready to call that one yet. For the summer though? You betcha. I don't think there is anything else on the docket that could even come close to trumping Veckatimest. When it leaked it was like Christmas in March. Yes, that's right, I'm not going to hide the fact that I downloaded and previewed the album before its official released on May 26 of this year, but who didn't? I say previewed because I had every intention of purchasing this album upon its unveiling regardless of what I initially thought of it. When you're a fan, you're a fan, so obviously you will do everything in your financial power to support the art you love.
I understand some of the reactions from the people I have spoken to about Veckatimest who don't particularly care for it as much as they did for Yellow House (next song, I promise). The argument most commonly stated is that Veck is too "poppy" of an album and in today's music scene pop isn't synonamous to noble or impressive. Seriously though, did everyone expect Yellow House 2: Return To The Cod? Part of what makes a band continuously put out great albums is the constant shift in the various nuances of life and the reorganization of the world around them. Almost like pancake batter. No matter how many times you've made pancakes with the same recipe they will always taste slightly different each time. It's not just the chemistry of the different ingredients mixing together in the bowl. It's you. Your taste has changed. Same batter, different mood. Outside stimuli in your day to day drag has added or taken away feelings, thoughts, and emotions you may or may not have originally had before.
All of what I just stated should be taken into account when prescribing to a new piece of art. You have to consider what the band felt and what you are feeling at the moment of intake. I don't mean that in a matter of fact, this is the rule to listening to music kind of way, but on some level it's true. I can't even count how many times I've listened to an album and wrote it off after the first few listens only to return a year or two later and absolutely love it. You've had that happen to you, right? In fact, it happened to me with Yellow House and it's what I think the band is talking about in "Fine For Now." They are "not asking for your permission," so "please understand" if you come to find you dislike Veckatimest at this moment in your life. Just please don't count it out.
ps. Just watched the video review on ABC's website. Hearing Charlie Gibson talk about Grizzly Bear felt awkward. Though not as awkward as Mr. Thompson's stiff, monotone description of Veckatimest. I guess this belongs in a tweet, but whatever.
"Central and Remote"Off the top of my head I can't really think of any great moments in history from 2006. We were still in the Bush era, so it goes to show you how little a person can actually remember from that time period without using Google to do it for you. Which I did, and it returned what I expected- Bush this, Bush that. Iraq this, Iraq that. Amy Winehouse does crack, etc., etc. There was however some light and hope throughout all of this in the form of music. Some great albums were released in '06 that are still in constant rotation on my turntable: Let's Get Out Of This Country, Silent Shout, Everything All The Time, Night Ripper, and of course Yellow House.
Going back to what I was saying before, Yellow House was one of those albums that I didn't quite get or comprehend as soon as I listened to it. It took a while, like, as in a few years. It wasn't until last year that I threw my arms around this album and called it "baby." No, not literally, so stop the internal dialog that's calling me a freak. I mean I really became attached to listening to it almost all of the time which in turn made me ask myself, why? Why now and not then? To reiterate, I lent it to not being in the right frame of mind or place in my life that I could fully embrace the genius and the musicality of it. So it goes.
While this entire album is beyond great as a whole, there are certain nuances of it that make it a step above the rest. For instance the vibraphones (guessing on that) in the intro of this song. Also the timbre of everyone's voice in the band goes so well together, yet they are so distinct, that it makes every harmony pleasing to the ears without being overly textured. It's almost as if the all the members asked themselves "how can we achieve the sound of a person laying their head down on to a pillow made of satin in a room where a cool breeze flows through an open window all while an old man shuffles in the hallway on a wood floor?" I wonder if I'm close.
"Eavesdropping"Time is not graceful nor is it forgiving. However there is optimism to that statement. As the generations grow older the search for new landscapes and frontiers in the world of music and beyond becomes more and more important. We experiment more because we want to see what else is out there and sometimes we do it with music; We listen to it and we create it all for a chance to cheat time or at least to ignore it. Still, it'll always have an influence on us.
Out of the entire Grizzly Bear catalog I have to say that this song is probably the most classic folk sounding. Ed and the rest of the guys have gotten the label of anti-folk and psych-folk mostly because of the strangeness of the material on Horn of Plenty. But again, time has influence. The slowed down folk ballads of yesteryear are made apparent in "Eavesdropping." It's not so much the instruments that were used, but the way the song is carried and held up by Ed's voice which has been compared to Harry Nilsson's a lot lately. I've never been one to nit pick a song to the extent of trying to find the influences, but then again my music knowledge isn't as vast as others might be.
I know a lot of people consider our generations to be divided. Each one saying that the next one will destroy the world. But those gaps can be, and are closed with the patience and tolerance handed to us from the older generations and what they have accomplished through the arts. It brings us all together and it's something we can't forget about.
Remember when you asked your parents what they listened to when they were younger and getting into music? What they were enjoying during their early life and before the world ended and began at the same moment you were born? I'm sure what they told you was an array of bands that you began to enjoy as well because somehow you remember hearing it when you were a baby. I ask this because I'm reading This Is Your Brain On Music by Daniel J. Leviten, a former music producer turned neuro-psychologist that talks about how music is able to produce an emotional response not only through the lyrics, but through the specific rhythms and pitches in the songs. A song sticks with you because of how you originally felt, and not thought, when you first heard it. This is why the music of our parent's generation plays a part in what we may listen to today.
I'm really looking forward to when my children get older and inquire about my taste in music. I would be playing an album and one of them will ask, "who is this, dad?" It'll be something I had been playing since they were able to remember hearing it whether they know it or not. Something that will stand the test of time and become a classic much like The Beatles or Led Zeppelin. It'll be Grizzly Bear.
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