Grizzly Bear
9 out of 10 - Simply Amazing. Can't wait to see 'em again.
Saturday, November 03, 2007
New York Society for Ethical Culture, New York City
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On a crisp autumn evening, New York's Society for Ethical Culture played host to the twelfth concert in The Wordless Music Series. Now in its second season, The Wordless Music Series is not, as it might sound, a pursuit of instrumental music, but rather a concert series with a bill that pairs a classical performer with a performer from the word of rock or electronic music. It’s a noble idea, attempting to showcase the commonalities between the different realms of music that are often thought of totally disparate, while at the same time exposing the audience of one genre (and often entirely different social sphere) to the music of the other. On this evening, the pairing was minimalist pianist Michael Harrison with the emerging indie rock band Grizzly Bear. Harrison's stirring pieces from 2007's "Revelation: Music in Pure Intonation" may have not exactly inspired any direct colorations with Grizzly Bear's music, but they were also really no more disparate than a normal opening band at a club or bar. And Harrison's hypnotic piano drones, influenced by modern composers Terry Riley and La Monte Young, were captivating and experimental enough to engage the predominantly young audience who were mostly there to see Grizzly Bear.
The Society for Ethical Culture, a former church now functioning as a music venue, seemed a perfect venue to hear Grizzly Bear, who for all of their rock maneuvers employ an impressive array of choir-like harmony vocals. The acoustics and intimate setting also allowed the evening to be a closer experience with Grizzly Bear's music. The band thankfully did not stray far from their regular song list or attempt to classicize their songs to suit the evening, but they did explore some of their quieter moments, with a rapt audience comfortably seated in their pews (yes, pews). One of the highlights was "Marla," from the band's second album "Yellow House." "Marla" is a delicate and affecting mix of Parisian café accordion and ghostly Baroque piano, and a song that the band does not usually play live. Despite that, they performed the song impeccably, highlighting the song's understated intricacies. In fact, the evening crystallized, perhaps even more than their normal shows, the wide range of influences from which Grizzly Bear draws. Though they are always building around pop songs, the band mixes electronic soundscapes ("Alligator," "Fix It"), heavy guitar ("Lullaby"), doo-wop backing vocals ("Knife," "Service Bell"), folk strumming ("Little Brother"), staggering crescendos ("On a Neck, On a Spit"), as well as sweeping dynamics ("Colorado").
Seeing Grizzly Bear in concert is also always an education in how the band constructs its songs, relying on key contributions from all its members. It also demonstrates how ridiculously talented the band members are. All four contribute stellar vocals, sometimes all at the same time. Ed Droste and Daniel Rossen regularly trade lead vocal duties without missing a beat; in much the same way they share songwriting. The other members of the band are just as integral. Drummer Christopher Bear played with power and subtlety, yet also switched to piano at a few points. Utility player Chris Taylor was constantly shuffling instruments, playing no less than five instruments throughout the evening, and spent a good portion of the show hunched on the floor manipulated effects and sound processing. The band does not do this for novelty, though. Rather, their breadth of abilities allows them to conjure exciting and varied sounds for each song.
The Wordless Music show also served as the unofficial closing of Grizzly Bear's exhaustive touring that has seen them play around the world over the past year and a half. And while that time has also corresponded to the band seeing a jump in notoriety, it was clear from their comments that they are ready for a break. However, like any good closing of a chapter, Grizzly Bear provided a teaser of what's to come, with a new song (which is not included on their new EP "Friend") ending their regular set. The uplifting song, which features glorious harmonies on its chorus, bodes well that the future of the band is as invigorating as its present. For a November night in a building that has seen its share of legendary performers, that present for Grizzly Bear was worthy of another type of praise.
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