It's no news how I feel about Grizzly Bear - I mean, I have expressed my undying love before. Veckatimest is still up there and I don't see myself hiding it in the back of my closet any time soon. I still consider it one of my favorite releases of 2009; plus, I have too much emotional baggage attached to this album. But, on my behalf, I do consider this mild addiction still meandering in the realm of the healthy. Anywho... why justify? This is the land of the free, right?
Last week Grizzly Bear released the music video for "Ready, Able". Now, the videos for their two previous singles proved GB is constantly pushing their limits. What can I say? They're creative entities - slightly twisted, but creative nonetheless. I love "Two Weeks", adore "While You Wait For the Others", but "Ready, Able"is my ultimate favorite (Just so you get a picture, it is the most played song in my iTunes -- but, seriously).
Like the song, the video opens the door to different interpretations, it is truly the visual equivalent to the aural experience. On one hand it is mysterious, dark and makes you turn to yourself to do some self-examination. On the other hand, it is playful, full of colorful details and imaginative.
The band decided to use claymation, stop animation using clay, under the direction of Allison Schulnik. I particularly liked Schulnik's interpretation once the song hits the bridge, where the track comes to a climax full of organs, strings and chorus. In turn, the ghosts are isolated in the darkness and spotlighted as they morph from one emotion/character to the other. (PERSONAL FUN FACT: these forty seconds after the bridge are my favorite part of the song... so, thank you Allison Schulnik for making this moment so worthwhile). Anywho... enjoy!
NOTE: While we are on the subject of claymation, I feel I should mention two artists that come to mind, just in case you want to pursue this form of art.
First artist: Jan Svankmajer, a Czech cinematographer considered one of the front runners of stop motion and clay animation. He is best known for his interpretation of Alice in Wonderland and his surreal short Darkness/Light/Darkness.
Second artist: Daniel Farah, he is a Mexican artist who has recently emerged from Savannah College of Art and Design. He is an animation and a motion graphics artist. His portfolio is quite interesting, full of short-films definitely inspired by surrealism and magic realism.
To me, Veckatimest best translates as "Summer oh-nine". It is the soundtrack of the social experiment I like to call my post-grad career, simply because it became the aural analogy to my everyday.
I've lost many hours of sleep to Veckatimest and I guess I owe this to a friend of mine. You know how friends always say "You should listen to this band, they're awesome"? Well, this is a friend whom I trust blindly - his music taste is pretty much implacable and very in tune with mine. Came May and all he would talk about was how he could not wait to get Grizzly Bear's new vinyl; halfway down going to the record store, his bike got a flat tire. This little monster was not capable of stopping him from his endeavor. He was on a mission. I was intrigued. I had to listen to the quadrupeds.
Once I did, only two songs grasped my attention. But I have learned my lesson in terms of new bands, you actually have to listen to the albums. After a couple of nights I was swearing my undying love. It only snowballed after that. I acquired Yellow House and Horn of Plenty, too and it was a matter of time before I became acquainted with Department of Eagles, GB's singer/songwriter/guitarist Daniel Rossen side project [note: Listen to No One Does It Like You].
Ultimately, I found myself not only liking GB, but talking about them non-stop and longing to have a sidekick with whom to share this musical masterpiece.
I guess it's not hard to see that I have a deep emotional connection associated with this band. Knowing they had scheduled two shows in Boston was just mind blowing... I had to be there. The first one kicked in early in the summer at the Berklee Performance Center, a place that has limited seating and was bound to sell out immediately. The second one happened this Thursday.
The Orpheum was packed by folk lovers, indie aficionados, and hipsters... Yes! haha But it wasn't the crowd what made it so special. It was the over all environment, the feeling... ya know? It was like going to an underground show in an Allston basement with your friend's band playing - it was familiar, cozy and face-melting - not to mention that Ed Droste, being from Boston, gave it a local twist by dedicating each song to a Massachusett's related element, from the infamous Red Line to Arsenal Mall and, of course, the Red Sox.
Don't get me started on the visuals... Ah! The lighting... The most important element in the stage set up were the dangling jars that eventually became like giant christmas lights twinkling according to the tracks. I'm telling you, it was a basement gig... just slightly upgraded. ...and the music, of course.
The surround sound given by the Orpheum was perfect for their music, which I like to say is orchestral indie pop. Its all about instrumentality, plus, their theatricality was accentuated by the live versions of their heavy layered songs. Droste's voice was melodic and vibrated with great strength and confidence... he's just a great singer. Chris Taylor, the one-man band, is fascinating. He moves from the bass, to the clarinet, to the flute, to the saxophone and back to the bass, while playing with audio gimmicks at all times. Amazing. And Christopher Bear, the drummer... wow. I believe he is the largest reason I say orchestral is the operative word in their music. His drums can be deep and harmonizing or quite the opposite, enticing and aggressive. I'd dare to say that few drummers have been able to guide through a song from beginning to end without losing me, somewhat a hypnotic situation. And, of course, Dan Rossen. He is just the master of the guitar, and probably the main reason my all time favorite GB song is "Ready, Able".
I read an article a few days ago about Grizzly Bear... It read something like this: "It is feasible that, since the release of their deservedly beloved Veckatimest, no one does not like Grizzly Bear. You could play them for your smelly calculus professor who only listens to Brahms..." It made me laugh, but I can't say I couldn't agree more.
I really just hope this band doesn't fall in the category of one hit wonders that fade once this "indie fad" is over, cause, their honestly great... and live, even better. Jaw-dropping, forgot I had to breath, can't stop staring kinda great.
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