Photo courtesy of Warp RecordsGrizzly Bear has never been the sort of band to have a die-hard following. The breakthrough album “Veckatimest” showed the group’s ability to subtly blend indie-pop, folk and psych, but the current music scene isn’t exactly bereft of those sorts of outfits. It was only a matter of time that these ursine would look for something to distinguish themselves with.
After the praise of the last release, expecting a follow-up bulging with artistic ambition and fraught with self-seriousness would be justified. Fortunately, such an expectation is fulfilled in “Shields.” With its latest album, Grizzly Bear thrusts deeper into the forest, bathes in a tide of reverb and embraces a sort of redemptive melancholia, returning with an album that actually succeeds in a fair amount of the risks it takes.
Nearly every one of the tracks here sees its respective vocalist pining for some sort of pastoral escape from the echoing — occasionally torrential — backdrop of instruments. On “Yet Again,” the cavernous guitar flourishes and the harmonies sweep the singer up in a breathless spray, only to shatter into a convulsive coda.
The trick is to provide some sort of anchor point on the busier tracks, and these tunesmiths are savvy enough to imbue their melodies with a slight tinge of hopefulness and stability. Otherwise, the stumbling guitar rhythms and heavenly synth breaks would turn the song “Sleeping Ute” into something far more daring than Grizzly Bear probably wanted.
The way “What’s Wrong” scattered percussion and quivery melody coalesce behind a brisk swing is rather thrilling — as is the gentleness of the ensuing piano outro.
Even the most curmudgeon listeners cannot help but be awed by the track “Sun in Your Eyes.” The chorus’s synths and harmonies are transcendent enough on their own, but the free-form drum patterns and pulsing piano dots add up to a spectacular finale. The entire affair is potent enough for listeners to second-guess any misgivings towards the album.
It is still hard to escape the reasons to hesitate finding this to be an overall spectacular body of work. There are a few too many facile songs that aren’t as rewarding as the immaculate production behind tracks like “A Simple Answer” and “Gun-Shy.”
At its best, “Shields” documents a group of musicians a bit more willing to fuss with a well-worn formula, whether through aggressive guitar swoops or splintered rhythms. If anything, the work makes fans impatient for a Christopher Bear solo record; the man is a choice drummer.
Reach the reporter at tjgreene@asu.edu
