Ready, able

Within the last month or so I’ve really started to embrace the whole Twitter experience.  One of my favourite people to follow is Grizzly Bear front man Ed Droste, because unlike some of the other celebrities I’m currently following, Ed’s tweets aren’t all about self-promotion and record flogging.  In between revealing the artwork for new singles and post-show messages about how cool the audience was, he’s not adverse to telling us he’s got a bad MSG headache from Pho, or showing us what great organic produce be picked up at the market.  Sure he’s got the occasional post about the band’s Letterman booking, or his recent Twitter-stalking of Snoop Dog, but hey!  Give the guy a break–that’s his job!

Droste and his band mates do their job very well, by the way.  Even though it won’t be officially released until May 26th, their new album Veckatimest has already earned itself a prominent spot in my daily rotation of music.  Named after a small island off the coast of Massachusetts, the geographical motifs go beyond the album’s name, as the whole affair feels like a travelogue through space and time.  Opener “Southern Point” is awash in a shuffling jazz beat that carries you away as if you were swept away by the sea.  It would make the perfect soundtrack to an low flying aerial tour of New England’s most spectacular coast lines; sailing through the clouds, skimming the water, and taking your breath away.  “Two Weeks” sounds like vintage pop straight out of the Brill Building in the 60s,  and is in the running for single of the year (Droste tweeted the artwork for it just the other week).  There is a headiness in these songs that leaves the listener feeling slightly drunk and in love, a potent combination for sure.  It’s a most impressive and gorgeous piece of work, whose intricacies and supple sound waves reveal something new and wonderful each time you listen.  With Veckatimest, Grizzly Bear have set themselves on an island they alone occupy.

MP3: Grizzly Bear “Cheerleader”
Facebook: Grizzly Bear
Myspace: Grizzly Bear
Buy: Grizzly Bear Veckatimest

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