dreams ridden

There is a lithe and yet incredibly savvy sensibility about Veckatimest that ought to get a lot of listeners all excited about Grizzly Bear, which has also contributed somewhat to the surprising sales this pop album has chalked up thus far too, I feel. Really nice work. Once in a while an otherworldly pop gem like “Two Weeks” comes along that is just too easy to adore (what’s not to like about an affectionate doo-wop tune about saving up vacation days to spend with a loved one?) and as you journey your way into the album's cabinetry of elaborate song arrangements and voice harmonies of such infinite grace, Veckatimest states its claim for this emerging band's greatness very well indeed. The songs carry on the healthful momentum first sparked on the well-circulated live versions of the swarthy "While You Wait For The Others": the simple folkways of “Southern Point” drenched in spirals of clattering commotion; the artful timbre of “Cheerleader”, riding confidently on a tremulous beat and waltzing into the fringes of a primordial dream. Songs on the top of the rotation of Veckatimest like “Cheerleader” or "Two Weeks" work like bona fide nostalgic commodities, while those playing a more complementary role don't necessarily lack in terms of inventiveness or impact. At the end of the odyssey, “Foreground” brings Grizzly Bear’s tenuous beauty to a mysterious close, with softly layered textures that stretches like runaway watercolors – the sonic canvas of their mostly fully formed album yet is a painted ocean that glistens in the wildest darkness.