Grizzly Bear – Yellow House
Record Label: Warp Records
Release Date: September 4, 2006
Music has the ability to paint pictures in our minds and associate certain scenes and everyday occurrences with notes, bells and whistles. Audible strokes of a brush remind us of things as big, tragic or magical events in our lives, or small wonders and glances, like seeing the sun setting over a clear lake.
When Grizzly Bear open up their second album with "Easier," the Sun begins to rise over a beautiful field in the countryside, peeking its head through the window against your eyelids, saying, "Wake up. It's time to experience something wonderful."
Yellow House is a masterpiece in experimentation and in constructing a general array of moving and pleasing sound. When "Easier" rounds the corner, and the banjo gets by both ears, you've already made it to the front porch, sipping coffee, and wondering where you will proceed next. "Lullabye" is all but its title, as the orchestra comes crashing down and then builds into a blast of harmonies and lyrically instrumental matched rhythms.
The foray takes you into the strange and writhing single "Knife," which doesn't end where it began. "Little Brother" floats along, but burst into a grand rhythm in its second verse. "Plans" gradually builds like climbing a ladder, just to crash everything off the shelves for which you were reaching. "On a Neck, On a Spit" cuts itself into two parts, where the second part drives quickly around the country roads.
The album isn't without its faults. "Central and Remote" feels like an outtake of filler and "Marla" is like getting drugged. Yet, both have their shining moments of construction. As "Reprise" is the winding down of the day, you take a walk to the porch again, to see the Sun setting over the mountains to the album's closer "Colorado" wondering, "What now?" over and over again.
Grizzly Bear prove with Yellow House that ambience can be bottled, and when mixed with other musical elements, used to create something special. The band has shaped an album that paints a grand scheme, where multiple listens find something new to extract from the mural of sound.
Would have been sufficient explanation of this album. Maybe add a "Just buy it assholes" in there.
I mean any album review in general. Like if someone did a pitchfork type review where they just attach a video to it. Or submit a review that says, "FAIL. Don't buy this record." I want to know what Blake or Travis would send that person back, or if they would just post it.
I mean any album review in general. Like if someone did a pitchfork type review where they just attach a video to it. Or submit a review that says, "FAIL. Don't buy this record." I want to know what Blake or Travis would send that person back, or if they would just post it.
Haha, that'd be interesting. Though the Pitchfork video was just hilarious, and probably gave a decent portrayal of the quality of the record. I feel like they might just post it and then take it down if it got too much attention.
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