Grizzly Bear's debut offers up a lysergic brand of minimalist psychedelic folk perfect for those who find Elliott Smith's early work a bit too accessible and upbeat. Marking an evolution from one-man home recording project to full-fledged quartet, the studio-recorded Horn of Plenty features a mostly melancholy mix of acoustic guitars, reeds, retro organs, and samples, all drenched in enough acid-washed effects to give Devendra Banhart flashbacks. Frontman Ed Droste's weary, somnambulistic vocals work well with the slackadaisical melodies to create an unsettling atmospheric sound full of shimmering shadows. Songs like the opening "Deep Sea Diver" and the mesmerizing "Shift" crawl along at an almost funereal pace, the latter featuring what sounds like a scratchy Gramophone recording of a piano augmented only by echoing whistles, clapping, trippy found sounds, and weirdly hypnotic multi-tracked vocals. The expanded lineup and production budget have done nothing to change the group's lo-fi approach, which produces a murky sound that unfolds like a narcotic dream you can't quite shake upon waking. This is the kind of album you'll want to listen to late at night, perhaps a few sheets to the wind, with lights off and headphones on to allow these creepy, quiet little tunes to worm their way into your subconscious. ~ Bret Love
Grizzly Bear is romantic, emotional, dreamy and sincere. It combines the quirkiness of Animal Collective in the form of a Syd Barrett solo project.
Ed Droste started Grizzly Bear music as a pet project meant only for friends, but it has taken on a life of its own, circulating widely. During a long fifteen-month hibernation in his cozy Greenpoint apartment, Droste laid the groundwork for Grizzly Bear's first album, Horn of Plenty. Upon completion of this "demo," Droste enlisted the help of a real bear, Christopher Bear, who breathed new life and sounds to the work. The result, Horn of Plenty, is a nostalgic amalgamation of found sounds and layered vocals bound to thrill fans of Sufjan Stevens, Nick Drake, Animal Collective, and the Unicorns.
With their debut album out now on Kanine Records, Grizzly Bear has been spreading their gospel as a live act with the addition of Chris Taylor, playing reeds and electronics, and Dan Rossen, adding more vocals and guitar, to the group. With three voices, guitar, clarinet, percussion, and colorful effects, Grizzly Bear's live sound maintains the dreamy, subdued qualities of "Horn of Plenty", yet explores a more electric and psychedelic path, leading to a dynamic and mesmerizing concert experience.Rolling Stone (No. 988, p.127) - 3 out of 5 stars - "...[T]he pure atmospheric power of the songs is more than enough to hypnotize...." Uncut (p.94) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[A] strikingly accomplished debut, its dovetailing of alt.folk and chamber-pop with found sounds and glitchy effects going far beyond the limits of 'folktronica'." The Wire (p.58) - "HORN OF PLENTY is acoustic music willing and able to efface its own identity, to transform and transmute itself ad infinitum." Mojo (Publisher) (p.94) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[A] pillow-soft tapestry of guitar, woodwind, glockenspiel, percussion and mantra-like vocal harmonies, glazed with FX and found sounds."
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