NYT Hits the Nail on Grizzly Bear's Head

Photo: Chad Batka for The New York Times

[mp3] Grizzly Bear: "Cheerleader"

UPDATE: Thanks to a commenter who directed us to Nico Muhly's site where the frequent GB collaborator is moderating a pretty heated discussion on the merits of the NYT review.

It was Saturday night at Hi-Fi -- a day after the Grizzly Bear show at NY's Town Hall. We met a fellow cavort who also attended the show Friday. We asked what he thought. He, oh so predictably, blurted "it was the most amazing show" to which we replied, "actually, it wasn't." When pressed, he quickly amended his statement, concurring with our arguments as to the show's many flaws. Our theory is that, when pressed, about 5% of the audience actually wholeheartedly enjoyed the Grizzly Bear show, despite the effusive standing ovation and weekend of sold-out New York shows. We are the target demographic for Grizzly Bear: fans willing to go the distance for great music. After Friday, we won't be going the distance when it comes to traveling to any more Grizzly Bear shows. Read more of our take on Friday's show, and Ben Ratliff's spot-on review of the show in the New York Times after the jump.

There is no denying the talent of these musicians. They are all amazing vocalists and Ed Droste and Dan Rossen are pretty A-list songwriters as well. There were moments of beauty and excitement Friday night. [Correction] "Lullabye" was particularly lovely. Yet, the tension would build, and never fully release or resolve itself. Even the amazing "Two Weeks" hit fell flat. Most of the show was really boring, and heavily sleepy. Two or three on our row were dead sound asleep through most of the show. We nodded off a few times before the string section came out. The sound was muddy, and most of the nuances that succeed on their records were lost. Besides a joke about tweeting from the stage, the entire show was as serious as a funeral, stand-offish, and as Ben Ratliff writes, extremely "cold." We could go on at length here, and after some beer on Saturday night, we did. But, we'll leave it to the pros here. Ratliff perfectly summarizes the show in his piece for the Times. Read it, and enjoy his writing, because in all honesty, you probably didn't really enjoy the Grizzly Bear show that much.

Are We Ready to Love Metallica Again?

Listen to "The Day That Never Comes" metallica.com
For a few of us in the Stark family, Metallica played a huge role in the cultivation of our musical appreciation. We played in Metallica cover bands and rocked out during band practices until the police were eventually called. True story. Yet, for whatever reason, be it steadily decreasing quality output from the Hetfield/Ulrich/Hammett core, the allure of pop music that could actually score us chicks, or just generally growing older, our love for Metallica faded. We would still throw on "Sanitarium" for a nostalgic throwback, but the energy and passion we once felt was gone. Our disillusionment became fully realized after watching the devastating "Some Kind of Monster" train-wreck of a documentary. Until now?

The prospect of buying the new Rick Rubin produced Metallica record Death Magnetic (9/12, Warner) had not occurred to me until reading Ben Ratliff's cover feature reported from Romania (way to go Ben) in Sunday's NYT. In it, the band seems revitalized, healthy and like they are finally making good music again. While it remains to be seen whether the songs will appeal to me after so long a break - one thing can be said for certain - I am finally looking forward to a Metallica record again.
Photo: Cristian Movila for The New York Times

Vetiver: Thing of the Past

I've really been loving the new Vetiver record Thing of the Past. I agree with Ben Ratliff of the New York Times in that there are many reasons to not like this record, chief among them the fact that covers records are often fraught with peril. Yet, on Thing of the Past, Vetiver manages to navigate these dangers by selecting obscure songs that also happen to be really good. Vetiver enlists folk icon Vashti Bunyan to give the band's pastoral folk that tinge of authenticity so many folk acts strive for today. The sound is warm, summery and downright pleasant. Thing of the Past seems to hit its mark by giving the listener the experience of discovering some forgotten record, blowing away the dust and enjoying something old for the first time (see cover art).

Enjoy the tune "Blue Driver" below.

Vetiver - Blue Driver - mp3

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