photos by Dakota Fine
words by Aaron
Lot’s been said about the men of Grizzly Bear recently. Enough that I feel at a loss to introduce any written word about them that doesn’t seem both rehashed and stale. So, in the purpose of non-purpose driven reviews, let me streamline my subjective consciousness and my consciousness of this group into a time schematic for you.
I moved to DC almost two and a half years ago. Right around then, I heard about a band I was supposed to “appreciate.” So I did my research. I read about them. I listened to an album of theirs recorded in a house, a yellow one. I felt comfortable and immediately gratified by some of their songs and made sleepy by the others. I garnered an “appreciation” for the album, but wasn’t sold entirely.
I went to see them shortly thereafter, must have been February of 2007. They performed at the Black Cat, and I won’t say if my mind was blown, but it was certainly expanded. That expanse now included the realization that Grizzly Bear was a rhythmically potent, compositionally sure, ambitious beast. A beautiful one at that. One of the many things mentioned about this amalgamation of talented cubs is their penchant for beauty – beautiful harmonies, melodies, lyrics, layered atmospherics, etc. They epitomize a beauty of old: a classical charm, a winsome appearance, and a pursuit of the ideal of a meticulously crafted perfection.
Two and a half years ago, Grizzly Bear was a band growing into those descriptions. Their songs remained interesting because of the inherent ambition and grandiose aspirations. Today, Grizzly Bear is a band that exceeds those descriptions, but only slightly. Which is to say, just about perfect.
Since the leaking of Veckatimest, I’d been waiting for the day I would witness the translation of these new songs into a live setting. If a low-quality-mp3-cheap-headphone-4hr-bus-ride version made me feel as if I was listening to the next Sgt. Pepper, I have to admit the idea of a live show inspired a bit of high expectations. Monday at the 9:30 Club, the grizzled group put forth an ideal show. Not too lengthy, excellent song selection, subtly visual, and packed with melody.
Starting with the bombastic “Southern Point,” Grizzly Bear strung together a succession of songs that’s cohesiveness played like an album. Mixing songs from Veckatimest, Yellow House, and the Friend (EP), the set revealed a virtuosic band who’s execution leaves nothing to the imagination. They have carved out a definitive sound which, while unique in their incarnation, remains indebted to the likes of those ambitious sonic innovators before them (particularly Phil Spector and Beach Boys’ collaborator Van Dyke Parks). Dynamic shifts, heavy ambience, orchestral arrangements, and beautifully composed multi-part harmonies left the audience in near-rapture.
As the group progressed through their set, the songs emerged stronger, more polished, and grew in strength. Songs like “Colorado” and “I live with you,” highlights of the show, began calmly and developed into giant, swinging swollen monsters. Songs like these reveal the affective intoxication of Grizzly Bear’s sonic presentation, and leave the listener, at least myself, in goose bumps.
As the band came out for an encore of their now standard cover of the Crystal’s “He Hit Me,” I felt completely satisfied. It’s difficult to think of new ways to describe a band’s inherent talent for making beautiful music, but sometimes you don’t have to. When the group itself recognizes the high marks of music-makers before them, and aspires to continue that tradition, you just relax, listen, and enjoy.
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Previously in Live DC:
- 2/14: LiveDC: Die Antwoord @ 930 Club
- 2/13: LiveDC: George Clinton & The Parliament-Funkadelic @ 930 Club
- 2/13: LiveDC: Veronica Falls/ Brilliant Colors @ Black Cat
- 2/13: LIVE DC: Steve Aoki/ Datsik/ Alvin Risk @ Fillmore
- 2/13: LiveDC: The Darkness @ 930 Club
- 2/9: LiveDC: Theophilus London @ 930 Club
- 2/9: Best Weekend Bets
- 2/8: LiveDC: Kathleen Edwards @ 930 Club
- 2/8: LiveDC: Thurston Moore/ Kurt Vile @ Black Cat
- 2/8: LiveDC: Thurston Moore/ Kurt Vile @ Black Cat
God loves a cheerful giver.
awesome show. awesome photos. awesome review.
ALSO-Here we go magic was pretty awesome too.
I walked in towards the end (timing never works out as planned) but still got to catch Fangala and Tunnelvision so was as happy as a clam.
I am pretty sure that Aaron and I had the exact same experience with Grizzly Bear. Moved her 3 years ago, was at the Black Cat show and the three times now that they have visited DC. All amazing. Seeing them live is a real experience.
I am so mad i missed this show! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH
stunning.
I almost cried at 'foreground'. I think I actually did a little.
i was disappointed with here we go magic ... definitely ok, probably could have been much better with a better mix, but their songs were needlessly long
i'm not a GB fan to the point of shitting my pants and weeping, as it seems everyone else is, but the show was still great. my highlights were not the highlights mentioned above (i don't even like Colorado) and i think the range intrest they're getting is a good endorsement for GB
p.s. Veckatimest just debuted at #8 of Billboard charts. Kind of goes to agree with the conversations I had with Jason about them slowly but surely (with Fleet Foxes et al) becoming the easy (but hard?) listening equivalent for the 30ish yipster.
when people are given more access and exposure to good music they make better choices
what is a yipster?
yuppie hipster. a grown up hipster so to speak (or a grup) that actually has money to buy albums off of itunes instead of zsharing them with their friends and stuff
I've been going to shows at that venue since before it was owned by the 9:30 Club and I can honestly say that was one of the best I've ever seen there. Flawless set. The reworking of "Little Brother" floored me.
That bassist looks like a healthy relative of Cale's.
Great write-up Aaron - I was right behind you for the show and wondered a couple of times what the wheels up there were spinning for you - good meeting you and great show. My "show-back" would have been comforted by the pews of 6th & I - but enjoyed seeing them in the 9:30 setting...
another review here: http://bit.ly/iSeoO
Great show...really wonderful to see them live. The new record is quite good. I'm glad everyone had so much fun at the show.
I must say, however, this band seems to bring out something in people that makes them overlook any flaws they have. Again, I love the band...but as with any band I love, I like to be engaged in a lively discussion about their strengths and weaknesses.
GB, like many good bands, do have weaknesses. One I rarely hear discussed with GB is that sometimes their lyrics are lacking. While their harmonies may be solid in a track, there is nothing to sink your teeth into. The lyrics to 'Two Weeks' read like they came out of a rhyming dictionary.
I dont know...I do love this band and walked away from the show feeling elated. I just wonder what it is about GB that makes people want to gush (and Twitter and FB) and be as uncritical as possible...whereas other great bands don't get a pass.
Just a thought.
@ Ryan
dude, I hear you on some of those ishes. as far as lyrics go, I'm much more satisfied with ambiguity (which some count as lazy) than atrocious blatant direct lyrics so I give them a pass on that. plus, like a lot of bands I enjoy, I think they realize that music speaks for itself in ways that lyrics don't always have anything to do with. I think Brian Wilson got this more than anyone.
I'd be interested to hear what other weaknesses you find in the band. While they don't make very many "exciting" decisions musically, their attention to crafting melodic orchestral pop is pretty wonderful.
Ryan, despite your libelous criticisms, since you mentioned three times that you love Grizzly Bear, you have proven your loyalty and will not be hung at dawn. However, other dissenters, beware.
Sincerely,
The GBLC
CBLC: Thank you for letting me off the hook. Shall not happen again.
Aaron: You know, there really aren't many I can think of that I dislike about this band...but for some reason, the lyrics sometimes bug me. Some of them are fantastic: "I can't get out of what I'm into with you" is a devastating lyric, and so simple. But there are other times when I feel like the lyrics don't hit the same high notes that the music does (take for instance "On a Spit, On A Neck": I love that whole ending...so intense. But those lyrics, "each day I spend it with you now...all my time I spend it with you now." I feel like they were once placeholders and Ed never came up with anything better.)
Again, I could go on and on about all the things I like about the new record. I think they finally deserve the hype that's been thrown on them for years now (way too soon, in my opinion). But they've earned it. I'm glad they seem to be a band that wants to grow...I have no doubt that these guys will continue to make better and better music in the future.
HA!
That is funny, mainly because those lyrics from "On a Neck, On a Spit" are incredibly affecting, for me at least. I think my association with them is dripping with nostalgia. Just great that different songs/word/pictures/thoughts/notes affect everyone differently.
Sweet.
Agreed, Aaron. That's very cool to hear actually.
I think it was David Byrne who said that to be universal, you have to be specific. I completely agree with him. I think with GB, sometimes they try to be too vague with their lyrics in order to make them universal and it bugs me sometimes. But then again, the true test is how many people it effects and, by the looks of it, they have passed with flying colors!
i was not that impressed. is that what you call metro sexual music? at least the crowd was not too talkative.