Veckatimest

by Grizzly Bear

Veckatimest is the third album from Brooklyn residents Grizzly Bear, and their second as a quartet. It’s a dreamy affair practically begging you to close your eyes and let the music wash over you; an album riddled with waves of sound and surprising textures constantly weaving in and out of the meticulously crafted songs.

Reminiscent of the Bon Iver album from last year it has the same expansive feeling and layered vocals, but is musically much more ambitious. There are brave ideas in this record but they are approached so gently you don’t even notice them appearing. Subtlety is key, and although that is sometimes to the records detriment (there are certainly no sing-a-long anthems on here) it is ultimately a triumph. Allusions to classical music, jazz and assorted other musical styles (lead single, 'Two Weeks' piano riff sounds remarkably like hip-hop anthem 'Still D.R.E') sit beside more straight-forward rock signifiers, creating a beautifully assembled, slowly rotating kaleidoscope of sound that sucks you gently in and holds your attention from beginning to end.

This isn’t a classic album in the sense that it’s packed front to back with hit singles or any truly mind-blowing ideas, but despite this (and indeed because of this), as a collection of music that you can sit back, relax, enjoy, admire, and return to again and again, it’s going to be difficult to top and should be sitting proudly at the top of a lot of ‘best of 2009’ lists come December.