L to R: Ed Droste, Daniel Rossen and a special guest on banjo
[Photos by willshu]
By Andrew Parks
No, they didn’t play “Knife.” And you know what? They really didn’t need to. As we said after Grizzly Bear’s brief New Yorker performance a couple weeks back, the Brooklyn band is on the cusp of something big and nerve-shatteringly beautiful with their third proper full-length, Veckatimest. And by that, we mean something far more resonant than Animal Collective’s long-overdue breakthrough with this year’s Merriweather Post Pavilion LP.
Chris Taylor gives hope to band geeks everywhere
You see, Grizzly Bear performs music we can all relate to—profoundly sad, and pristine, pop songs that dwell on the darker sides of the human condition, even as the tempos change and slivers of light peeks through the blinds. More importantly, the quartet can hold their own among a backing band as rich and room-engulfing as the Brooklyn Philharmonic.
To be honest, Grizzly Bear didn’t even need sweeping strings or whimsical woodwinds to color in the lines of their set at BAM last night. Yes, Nico Muhly’s arrangements added textures and tones to such standout tracks as “Central and Remote” (performed for the first time here) and “Colorado.” Beyond that, we were too mesmerized by Grizzly Bear’s two distinct voices—founding frontman, Ed Droste, and Daniel Rossen, also of Department of Eagles—to give a damn about the high/lowbrow crossover happening before our eyes. For all of the drama that supposedly tested the band’s lifeline last year, it’s clear that Rossen and Droste don’t need so much as completement one another perfectly. In other words, we could listen to either singer for a couple hours without growing tired of their haunted harmonies and melancholic melodies. Taken together, they reveal the lasting power Grizzly Bear could possess for the next decade or so. Look, they aren’t just ’some indie rock band.’ If they were, we’d shun them like self-titled normally does with standard singer/songwriter fare.
Instead, we were practically reduced to tears as Droste closed the night with “He Hit Me,” an unflinching tale of broken hearts and black eyes. Damn you for making us feel emo, Grizzly Bear. We’ll forgive you if Veckatimest tops our 2009 list later this year, though.
BAM conductor Michael Christie wonders when Ed Droste will stop stealing the show
Grizzly Bear @ BAM, 2.28.09:
Easier
Central and Remote
Ready, Able
Two Weeks
Plans
Colorado
Reprise
Little Brother (Electric)
Campfire
Dory
While You Wait for the Others
Foreground
Encore:
Deep Blue Sea
He Hit Me
Grizzly Bear encore Deep Blue Sea at BAM from lofi.tv on Vimeo.
5 Responses to “I WAS THERE: Grizzly Bear Leaves Us Feeling Shaken and Stirred At Highbrow-Baiting BAM Show”
What a fucking show. Amazing
ps. Thoughts on Final fantasy? I liked it ok, my girlfriend said it reminded her of a nightmare highschool musical
seems kinda divisive
Foreground was so achingly beautiful I don’t know what to say
Since he usually mimics an entire orchestra with just his violin and a laptop, it was a little disappointing—and odd—to see Owen behind a piano for most of the set. Had he performed with his usual setup and some backup strings/percussion, the BAM crowd would have been REALLY blown away.
on March 5th, 2009 at 2:29 pm #
[...] of a snapshot? “Sorry, I have to go to the bathroom.” Dissed! And right after we gushed about his BAM show, too. Lame. What do we look like, Last Night’s Party? Brian Degraw keeps [...]
on August 17th, 2009 at 3:57 am #
[...] Which is strange even for indie rock’s reigning space cadets. After all, Animal Collective have always claimed there’s a method to their madness—that their wild and woolly performances are not jam sessions so much as carefully-rehearsed ‘remixes’ of a back catalog that gets stranger (and sometimes stronger) with each passing set. And that’s fine; it’s great, actually. The last thing we want to see in a live setting is pitch-perfect renditions of a record we could hear at home for free, with cheaper beer and better sound. If we wanted to witness pure musicianship and unfiltered melodies, we’d go see Grizzly Bear. [...]