Shields by Grizzly Bear

Shields by Grizzly Bear

             First of all, a disclaimer: Grizzly Bear isn't for everyone. Shields isn't for everyone. Some of you will be bored by it. Some of you will be confused by it. Some of you won't see the appeal. If you don't like it now, I do suggest that you come back to it later. Maybe you'll see it differently.

            All that out of the way, this album is amazing.

            The opening track, “Sleeping Ute,” is a brilliant hook that showcases Grizzly Bear at their best. The guitars are prominent and jagged, with a background of undulating synths. The lyrics are vague and dark (“If I could find peace/If this night bleeds/But I can't help myself”) and Ed Droste's voice croons over it all. The whole song has a sort of compelling, restless energy.

            Throughout the album, Grizzly Bear creates a constantly shifting canvas of psychedelic folk that's easy to get lost in. Droste's lyrics are more verbose than previous albums, and tends towards abstract imagery; however, on “A Simple Answer” he turns to a more concrete topic, saying “No wrong or right/just do whatever you like” and “tell me it's all just a lie,” imploring his listener to convince him of moral and existential relativism. At times like this, the vocals and lyrics are central and seem to carry the music. There are other times on the album, such as near the end of “Half-Gate”, where the music seems to overwhelm the vocals completely, as though Droste's voice is adrift in a massive storm at sea, pulled hither and thither by the music. All in all, these features make this album not only fascinating to listen to but also mentally stimulating, provoking reflection and self-examination.

            The closing number, “Sun In Your Eyes”, is a massive song that begins with Ed Droste's voice and only the hint of other instruments that builds to a climax; Droste's voice swells to epic proportions along with the music behind him. There's an interlude that follows this, minimalist notes playing at intervals, which then slowly builds back up again like the ebb and flow of the tide. The repeated mantra of the song is “The look on your face, the burdens on your back, the sun is in your eye,” as the imagery of a nomadic traveler; it switches to first person, then, with the words “I'm never coming back.”  Grizzly Bear, I agree. Never go back. I like where you are, and where you're going.

4.6 out of 5
Kent Vashaw