Monday, December 17, 2012
Music The 20 Best Albums of 2012
Posted by Mike Conklin, Lauren Beck and Jeff Klingman on Mon, Dec 17, 2012 at 5:00 AM
Page 7 of 13
7. Grizzly Bear — Shields
Like their New York City neighbors Dirty Projectors and, to a lesser extent The Walkmen, Grizzly Bear have come to stand in near direct opposition to dominant trends in indie rock, both locally and nationally. On their fourth album, Shields, they grew even more committed to ambitious arrangements and composition, each element shining individually and then even brighter as part of the whole. Things swirl and swell with a fluidity that detractors get hung up on, as if it dulls whatever emotional impact the songs might otherwise possess. They're wrong, though: that effortless fluidity draws you in, relaxes you, and then, if you're willing to stick it out, slowly reveals the album's core concerns of loneliness and sense of uncertainty that's alternately crippling and freeing.
Key Track: "Yet Again"
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