Grizzly Bear

In a recent discussion of this EP, a friend who’s presumably never heard In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (1998) called Grizzly Bear’s Yellow House (2006) a “landmark album.” I don’t know if I quite agree with that and I gave the damn thing an 86%; still, they’re easily one of the most fascinating new bands of the last few years. Friend continues in the vein of its predecessor, cloaking the band’s arching harmonies and chunky guitar lines in reverb and rustic sepia-tones.

“He Hit Me (And it Felt Like a Kiss)” – a Phil Spector cover – is even better on record than it was live, all sparse subtlety until the inevitable climax the band’s become so good at. The same sense of experimentation that informs the group’s live performances is at work here: drummer Christopher Bear’s funky chops on Yellow House’s “Little Brother” were a highlight both on stage and in this electric version. With 10 tracks and 43 minutes to play with — almost as long as their LP! — one wonders why the band didn’t just make this a true follow-up, but then they couldn’t have included three covers by their — forgive me — friends. CSS’s “Knife” is the farthest removed from the original, an electro-pop take that’s reminiscent of the Postal Service; it’s a tribute to the band’s songwriting sensibilities that the song works removed from its dusty linen and shoved into slick plastic. As a record that’s half odds-and-sods, half new material, Friend may not be a landmark, but it certainly stands out.