Grizzly Bear and Spoon played Prospect Park

Grizzly Bear and Spoon brought their fantastic co-headlining tour to Brooklyn's Prospect Park as part of the annual BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival that has now taken place at the bandshell for over forty years.

Grizzly Bear played Brooklyn Steel

After releasing their first new album in five years, this summer's Painted Ruins, Grizzly Bear came back to their native New York for three sold-out nights at Brooklyn Steel.

Governor's Ball 2013 (Part 2)

The third and final day of the 2013 Governor's Ball was certainly the highlight of the weekend. After two days of intense mud, Sunday saw the grounds at their best and temperatures soar to make it actually feel like a summer music festival. I give a lot of credit to the crew who were able to save the festival from disaster and make it an enjoyable experience.

Albums 2012

Following my favorite songs of the year, here are my favorite records of 2012. Thank you so much for reading all year. I'll finish up the year end posts with my guest lists next week.

Grizzly Bear played Radio City Music Hall

Let me take a stab at this, for those who watched Grizzly Bear arrive on the scene with Horn of Plenty, grow into a muscular cub on Yellow House and mature into amazing talent with the breath-taking Veckatimest and Shields, you have been apart of a special journey. What started out as a bedroom project from front man Ed Droste, has evolved into one of the most majestic and sumptuous bands of the last decade. Radio City marked their largest hometown show yet, and the band proved their worthiness of such an honor. Things kicked off with "Speak In Rounds" which cascaded beautifully into "Adelma" before an epic "Sleeping Ute" and then the band really hit their stride. The group was backed with pulsating lanterns that floated angelically throughout the evening and shifted into striking patterns as the quartet delivered awe-inspiring renditions of tracks from each of their fantastic albums. Complex rhythms were unleashed with impecable timing, slicing guitars slashed along arresting harmonies, and Chris Bear delivered spectacular drum fills that resonated to the top tiers of the theater. Everything from "Lullabye" to "Cheerleader" to "A Simple Answer" was performed with such confidence and dexterity that it seems rather surprising this is not one of the biggest bands in the world. When the opening notes of "Two Weeks" began to ring out, people lept to their feet and immediately vibed to the supreme melodies and the show rocketed to another level. The ability to craft such wonderful and dynamic songs was enhanced by their extraordinary raw talent and perfect flow from moments of thunderous crashes to times of suspended elation. For the encore, the band eased into their breakout hit "Knife" beginning with delicate warped vocals before allowing the song to burst into a magnificent eruption of colossal beauty. To close out the evening, Grizzly Bear stripped things down to their pristine acoustic essentials for a tear evoking version of "All We Ask" and proved that they will always, not just sometimes, make it look easy.

Setlist:
Speak In Rounds
Adelma
Sleeping Ute
Cheerleader
Lullabye
Yet Again
Shift
Gun-Shy
Ready, Able
A Simple Answer
Foreground
While You Wait For The Others
What's Wrong
Two Weeks
Half Gate
Sun In Your Eyes
--
Knife
On a Neck, On a Spit
All We Ask

* bottom photo courtesy of Emilysaur

Grizzly Bear - "Yet Again"

You've already heard "Sleeping Ute", the excellent first track from the forthcoming Grizzly Bear record Shields, and today the band premiered another beautiful track, "Yet Again", on BBC Radio 1's Zane Lowe Show. Enjoy the track below as you wait for Shields to drop on September 18.

Grizzly Bear - "Sleeping Ute"

Three years after Grizzly Bear released my favorite album of 2009, the baroque-pop quartet have announced the highly anticipated follow-up to the fantastic Veckatimest. While it still doesn't have a title, the band has confirmed the new record will drop September 18 (via Warp) and have provided us with the track list and opening song, "Sleeping Ute", which is an electric Daniel Rossen number in the vein of the stunning "While You Wait For the Others". Enjoy it below!

Albums of 2009

One of my favorite parts of the end of the year are all of the year end lists posted by various blogs, magazines, and other websites. I think it's one of the best ways to catch up on notable releases throughout the year and reconsider some music I brushed off after one listen. So here are the ten albums I enjoyed the most in 2009.

01. Grizzly Bear | Veckatimest
It is hard to say that Veckatimest was a refreshing hit when it was released in the spring since two of the singles had already been receiving heavy blog play for almost a year. However this album packed a subtle punch that proved it's strength after repeated listens. Taking the ambient and orchestrated sounds of Yellow House, the four piece expanded their well crafted tunes into perfect pop snippets blended with clever arrangements of striking guitar and topsy-turvey percussion.


02. Animal Collective | Merriweather Post Pavillion
There has been apparent love for this album since it leaked at the end of 2008 and it has all been warranted. Animal Collective have been some of the hardest working musicians of the decade and MPP has been a sort of culmination record most bands dream of making. They take their strong ability to mix together folk/jam/noise efforts into pop appeal for the masses in what is their most accessible album to date.



03. Dirty Projectors | Bitte Orca
No one has timing like this band. Nothing on this album happens in the way that you would expect and that is probably the reason why one can listen to it over and over and never hear the same thing twice. The swaying vocals and off kilter guitar jams are pure art rock and the vocal work is nothing shy of a Mariah Carey R&B hit. The fact that this band can make those two things fit together is pretty impressive.



04. The xx | xx
On paper (or computer screen) nothing about this record sounds exciting. It is hollow, quiet, simple, yet oh so powerful. These London teens recall overcast 80's British post-punk and add in some dub-step for one of the most daringly plain yet understated records of the year. It seems that this record should satisfy after one listen since it is so bleak, yet the ability to draw back repeat listens is nothing short of genius.

05. Phoenix | Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
For almost a decade, Phoenix has written jubilant indie-pop smashes that have always held them just at the cusp of fame. This time around, their savvy synths launched them to stardom. "1901" and "Lisztomania" were two of the biggest pop songs of the year and the best 1-2 punch to kick off an album in recent memory. They have the rock sensibility of the Strokes and a John Hughes synth-pop power that stretches just enough past the indie scale that made these guys the biggest sensation of the year.



06. Fever Ray | Fever Ray
When the Knife released Silent Shout in 2006 the album was sighted as icy, synth driven electronica. Well that album was the avalanche and Fever Ray is the tundra. These slow driven, pulsating sounds are the calm after the storm, but are just as harsh and dense as anything that has come before it.





07. Japandroids | Post-Nothing
This Vancouver duo takes you front and center in the garage and power through eight songs of pure teen angst that combines harsh fuzzed out guitars with simple hooks and melodies. Never have two youngsters given so much grief towards aging past 25 and so much hope to live life to the fullest all at the same time. What could be better than getting to France to french kiss some French girls? Not much, but listen to this album until the flight leaves.

08. Girls | Album

Christopher Owens, the main man behind garage-surf-pop band Girls, is just as unsure about his future as you and me. The only catch, his band is rising to fame for their acclaimed songwriting not only in terms of melody, but lyricism as well. Their tunes breeze by yet their disheveled lives catch-up to them and songs begin to contort into rocking bliss. Is Owens ready to step up as the next promising artist of his generation? Probably not, but he'll take a stab at in anyway.

09. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart | The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Take one part Belle and Sebastian, one part The Smiths, and one part My Bloody Valentine and you will have yourself one whole The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. These dream-pop songs have the freshness of 2009 with the nostalgia of 1989. The hooks are monstrous and the jangly shoegaze guitar bleed in with the vocals creating this haze of beautiful pop melody.



10. Lightning Bolt | Earthly Delights
Never have two people ever sounded as loud as Lightning Bolt. The obnoxiously loud bass drones of Brian Gibson are matched by the ballistically brilliant Brian Chippendale in one of the most aggressive attacks on a drum kit (and attacks on music) I have ever heard. This album is certainly not for everyone and might be the hardest to approach on this list, but for those willing to take the journey, Lightning Bolt can certainly take your ears to places they have never been before.

"Two Weeks" redone by Gabe Askew

Grizzly Bear has been getting lots of love from the rap world as of late. Jay-Z was recently spotted at their show in Williamsburg with Beyonce and then he released this dope statement courtesy of Pitchfork:
"[Grizzly Bear is] an incredible band. The thing I want to say to everyone-- I hope this happens because it will push rap, it will push hip-hop to go even further-- what the indie rock movement is doing right now is very inspiring. It felt like us in the beginning. These concerts, they're not on the radio, no one hears about them, and there's 12,000 people in attendance. And the music that they're making and the connection they're making to people is really inspiring. So I hope that they have a run where they push hip-hop back a little bit, so it will force hip-hop to fight to make better music. Because it can happen. Because that's what rap did to rock.
When rock was the dominant force in music, rap came and said, 'Y'all got to sit down for a second, this is our time.' And we've had a stranglehold on music since then. So I hope indie rock pushes rap back a bit because it will force people to make great music for the sake of making great music."

Now Kanye is showing love for the Brooklyn quartet by posting this video on his blog. The official video for "Two Weeks" already exists, but media artist Gabe Askew went ahead and made his own. It might be even better then the original.

Two Weeks - Grizzly Bear from Gabe Askew on Vimeo.

Grizzly Bear played Town Hall

This band has been dominating my blog and life as of late. Their new album has been one of my most anticipated of the year and when it leaked in March I will admit that it did not live up to my expectation. However when the video for "Two Weeks" came out last week my hopes were once again elevated. On Tuesday I made my way to Other Music and purchased the album on vinyl and downloaded the legitimate version. Since then this album has been on repeat and gotten better with each listen. Everything culminated last night with their first of three New York shows. We arrived just after the opening act had finished and patiently waited for Grizzly Bear to take the stage. When the lights dimmed the four men walked onstage in matching outfits and quietly began to do what they do best. These guys put so much painstaking time into their music and the venue really let them play to perfection. The acoustics were amazing and really let these guys showcase their amazing talent. Quickly they launched into three tracks off Veckatimest and I was already won over. "Cheerleader" has been growing as one of my favorite tracks, but it was "Fine For Now" which really blew me away. In particular the guitar work of Rossen on these two tracks and "I Live With You" were astounding, but it was Chris Bear's flawless percussion that stole the show for me. I cannot think of another drummer that plays to such perfection as this man and I strongly encourage every fan to pay attention to the work this man has been putting on these albums. The only old tune of the night was "Service Bell" which they brilliantly transitioned into "Knife". The lighting of the show was especially aesthetically pleasing and Ed made note to tell us that was specially for New York. Overall these guys fully proved what makes them such a great band in today's modern music world. Their delicate precision and exquisite layering of their songs comes across brilliantly when performed live. In addition to thier own brilliance, they were backed by the Brooklyn Youth Chorus which only added an angelic nature to the performance and easily took songs to another level. They played far fewer tracks from Yellow House, but the cover of "He Hit Me" starting off the encore really sealed the deal on the entire evening.

Set-list:
southern point
cheerleader
fine for now
service bell ->
knife
little brother (electric)
two weeks
colorado
ready, able
i live with you
foreground
while you wait for the others
--
he hit me
on a neck, on a spit

Grizzly Bear - "Two Weeks"

This song made its debut on Letterman almost a year ago. Since then I have watched that video, listened to the mp3, seen the song live, and then finally listened to the leaked version numerous times. Yet, I have still yet to grow tired of it. This song showcases so many of the bands talents and still has the ability to sound fresh almost a year after I've been listening to it. Next Tuesday the band will finally release Veckatimest, this single is already out, and next Thursday the band begins a three show run here in New York. The first two are at Town Hall followed by a much more intimate gig at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

All Points West

All summer lead up to last Friday night. A long summer of being at home and away from the city had been too much for me to handle, but on my last day as a teenager I made up for it. Friends from home and school all gathered together at Liberty State Park for the first day of the first ever All Points West festival. Despite the stellar headliner that was Radiohead, the rest of the fest left people wanting a little more. The location was beautiful yet difficult to get to, the rest of the bands were alright, and the festival just seemed to be a little under prepared. However I still had an excellent time.

The day began with Mates of State, who I have never listened to, but have heard quite a lot about. While I enjoyed their set and wished I had known some of the songs since they seemed really good, I was very distracted with trying to eat a quesadilla, rain, and wind. Nature did not seem to be on my side. Despite the weather the band held out and played their whole set. Fortunately seeing this show allowed me to get the very front position for Grizzly Bear who came on next. These guys were excellent. The band I was most looking forward to see all day did not disappoint. The harmonies, guitar work, and perfection drumming sounded great live. The band even played an astounding four new songs during the set as well as classics such as "Knife" "Little Brother (electric)" and "On A Neck, On A Spit." Whenever these new tunes get recorded and released I'll be very excited.

We took a little break after Grizzly Bear and chilled near some art while we enjoyed CSS from outside the crowd. These guys put on a great show. The costumes were great and the energy was strong. They even got us moving during "Let's Make Love and Listen to Death From Above." After their set we moved over to the main stage to claim our spots for Radiohead. During the process we were able to catch the last half hour of Underworld, however our energy was consumed for the spectacle we were about to witness. Taking the stage about five minutes late was about the only flaw Radiohead performed that night. The set list was phenomenal. Pretty much every track from In Rainbows and all the other albums packed in between. Even though I had seen these guys before this show was still breathe taking. The lights alone would have made the experience worth it. The LED rods that seemed to show every color in the spectrum at some point in the show were hypnotizing. The band was perfect. They played the classics and took them to a whole new level. The greatest band in the world playing with the New York City skyline in the background was the perfect way to end my teenage years.

setlist:
01. 15 Step
02. There There
03. Morning Bell
04. All I Need
05. Lucky
06. Nude
07. Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
08. The Gloaming
09. Optimistic
10. Videotape
11. Reckoner
12. Jigsaw Falling Into Place
13. You And Whose Army?
14. Idioteque
15. Climbing Up The Walls
16. Bodysnatchers
17. How To Disappear Completely
--
18. House of Cards
19. Pyramid Song
20. Paranoid Android
21. Dollars and Cents
22. Street Spirit (Fade Out)
--
23. Cymbal Rush
24. Just
25. Everything In It's Right Place

New Grizzly Bear - "Two Weeks"

Grizzly Bear continue to impress me as they performed a brand new song entitled "Two Weeks" on Letterman last night. The amazing harmonies and poppy melodies are once again presented in an interesting and unique manner that make Grizzly Bear one of my favorite current bands. Can't wait to catch these guys at All Points West in a few weeks.



Also according to a rumor on productshopnyc Barack Obama may be making a special guest appearance at Lollapolooza to introduce Kanye West for his headlining slot. Sounds pretty good to me.