Shields, the fourth album from the Brooklyn quartet Grizzly Bear, certainly isn’t the guarded album its title may indicate.
Although the dual singles are not as instantaneously catchy as the previous album’s standout “Two Weeks,” “Sleeping Ute” and “Yet Again” are well-deserved gems that don’t necessarily reveal their merits after one listen, and they shouldn’t. But when placed in the overall context of this record, they serve as accessible foundations to a collection that is set to sweep you off your feet.
On “Speak in Rounds,” the slow tap of drums builds alongside Ed Droste’s whispering and longing vocals, until the right moment when the rest of the instrumentation crescendos into the song. Grizzly Bear’s penchant for creating mesmerizing moments out of barely-there elements is ever present and Shields drips with nuance, finally continuing where the previous albums gloriously left off.
Maybe it’s the delicacies the band weaves into the subtly textured songs, results of an extensive depth perception that resonates fully. Or it’s the way the album commands the listener to sincerely, totally engage, lest miss an intoxicating beat, note or lyrical pang.
The second half begins with “A Simple Answer,” a song that drenches the sound space with some funkier-than-usual textures.
From the plunky keys to the chamber pop swells, it’s a true “oh goodness mercy mine” moment that calls for an emotional surge, literally or metaphorically. And it’s tracks like this that listeners, with bated breath, hold still for the next gorgeous subtlety to mentally decipher.
Still, the band feels like it isn’t giving up everything, but maybe tucking a few things away for the future. With each subsequent release, listeners are thrust more deeply into the sound maze of that defines Grizzly Bear. Based on the twists, turns and emotional tugs on Shields, it’s clear the band is always ready and able to do again.
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