Now, every long, drawn-out studio flourish is well worth listening to, and every short, concise song strikes exactly where it should, and that’s the essence of Shields. They’re polished professionals, but in a totally awesome way. Take “A Simple Answer” for example: sure, they’ve recorded lengthy numbers before, but there’s something different now. They know which alleys to go down and which to avoid. Here, it’s clear that Shields is the album where Grizzly Bear sound more comfortable than they ever have in their studio surroundings. On “A Simple Answer,” Grizzly Bear hit with a track that bounces off the walls, getting better as it goes on. I can’t sing any one part of the song by heart, nor can I explain what the hell it is they’re trying to say, but every word hits like a pin to the cheek: quick, sharp, and momentarily stinging. “The Hunt” is one of the few Grizzly Bear songs where the lyrics speak louder than the music. Is it pop? Maybe not in your typical sense of the word, but I don’t care. Truth is, the song is pretty poppy, but poppy can also mean catchy, and the song certainly succeeds in that. In “Yet Again,” a radio hit is almost trying to remain hidden.
Throughout the album, Ed Droste’s airy, romantic voice floats like a fragile bubble along the melody, at times sounding like it could pop and disappear forever if a sharp object happened to get in its way. To be honest, Shields is a bumpy, jerky rollercoaster of a ride, but it’s one that I ultimately want to get on again and again. Ah yes, this is the Grizzly Bear I remember, but let’s not be too hard on them yet.
The rhythm is half jazz, half new-age-psych-folk rock being played with the reverb set too high. The song is “Sleeping Ute,” and it begins Grizzly Bear’s new album in a drunken haze. This album restores Grizzly Bear, absent for almost three years, in the rightful shrine of bands that defined the term indie in times of need.A guitar string is plucked, drums stumble in half asleep and picking up on a rhythm that bobs and jerks like an ocean current. Shields, placing them at the forefront of a whole generation of musicians that changed trends and genres in the 2000s, the album emerges as the peak in music craft for a band that never ceased to surprise piers and fans alike. And with that the band reinvents their own vision enough to give hope enough for listeners widespread to adoringly raise expectations for the oncoming years. ‘A Simple Answer’ transgresses the limitations usually attributed to the band, opening a new frontier to explore in future releases. Just in the second release ‘Speak in Rounds’, in the same progression you can trace the band’s evolution with the rapid drum arrangements and its twirling crescendos, a succession of nostalgic reminisces that remind us of their 2004 origins. The ten songs present feel like twenty and still we wish there were five more of the same. From track to track taking us to remote places with daringly exotic plots turns and unexpected twists. The soundscapes are as diverse as unexpected. It is a collage of self-evident influences put together into cohesive songs that shocks for its originality without once loosing the Grizzly bear factor in its background. Here all instruments, his ever-refined vocal style and lyrics worthy of a stand-alone publication find a common space in which to grow exponentially. Ed Droste seems to have found a new side to music that was always there in potential kinetic energy but never really exploited. The Brooklyn foursome draw from a bevy of treasured older influences (Beach Boys, Nick Drake, the Band, and Crosby, Stills, and Nash) and newer ones (experimental-period Wilco and Radiohead) without ever. Initially, the result sounds more aged than previous releases. Review Summary: Chamber pop giants Grizzly Bear deliver more chamber and less pop with Shields Plain and simple, critics adore Grizzly Bear. Grizzly Bear has returned with one of this year’s most shockingly quality-consistent productions, one more effort to add to their already impressive discography. The renowned epic layering of vocals that once elevated them into a completely distinctive sound come back not yet grounded nor appearing jaded. Fresh experimentation to keep old fans intrigued. The quartet’s latest Shields, in turn, doesn’t fail to deliver another batch of gorgeously built tunes, despite having no dramatic evolution in sound. It has enough pop cred to inspire younger mp3 players. And so in the year 2012 from the studio heaven Shields descends with newfound glory for the redemption of our expectant prayers cast. Most of these smaller deities fell from grace by their second or third LP and yet some other grew in power and influence. The past decade saw the birth of a new breed of indie demi-gods.