Grizzly Bear “Yellow House”

By Gus Bode

Grizzly Bear “Yellow House”

Release Date: Sept. 5, 2006

Label: Warp Records

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www.grizzly-bear.net

Rating: 4/5 stars

Perhaps one of the most interesting things about the band Grizzly Bear is that it prefers more to hibernate than to roar out of the gate.

On “Yellow House,” its follow-up to the amazing “Horn of Plenty,” the band only continues to expertly craft music that is both soothing and expansive at the same time.

Relying on gorgeous melodies and a wide array of instruments ranging from a glockenspiel to a flute, Grizzly Bear creates a world in which the listener instantly becomes immersed.

The stunning “Knives” is enchanting. If Grizzly Bear can do one thing it’s harmonize. Voices lift like a choir over the soft strumming dreamy guitar and slow saunter of drums.

Then there are offerings like “Control and Remote” that are reminiscent of something that Beach Boy Brian Wilson would compose.

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Whether it’s the gentle clash of cymbals or the guitars picking across the Grizzly Bear, “Yellow House” sounds like a slightly louder version of Iron ‘ Wine.

There is also a wonderful waltz, “Marla,” written by lead singer Edward Droste’s great-aunt, harkening to an older time. On headphones, this song and all the others are even more enthralling.

“Colorado” really catches the band filling the wide open spaces in which it often finds itself.

Grizzly Bear returns music to a time when compositions were grand and deep, where songs weren’t so formulaic and were capable of going a different direction in a heartbeat.

Everything about “Yellow House” is incredible. It’s an album that really forces you to focus on everything happening on each track.

Grizzly Bear can shift and reshape itself to fit into a mold that is comfortable and steady. Unlike most bands that offer a plethora of faster songs with the occasional slow song, “Yellow House” is a collection of somber songs that are only bolstered by the skill put into them.

The only thing Grizzly Bear has that is similar to its animal counterpart is how warm and fuzzy the band can be.

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