“First song off the new album + a world-wide tour. How’s that sound?” If you’re Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead, you’d be pretty happy; you called them your favorite band after all. But you’re most likely not Mr. Greenwood. There’s a slightly higher chance that you’re a grow-your-own-organic-pickle type of hipster. That would’ve been the case if you had heard of Grizzly Bear before they gained masses of fans, and now you’d be that person bragging that you’d seen them twice before they “sold out.” But now if you’re a Grizzly Bear fan, you’re joining the likes of the common folk. Hell, my sister saw Beyoncé and Jay-Z at a New York Grizzly Bear show a couple years back. She said it was “totally rad.” But the flint for their flame was the 2009 album Veckatimest. People were exposed to their post-classical, extremely theatrical sound. Most recently, with the release of “Sleeping Ute,” the first line of this piece was written under it. The song was just as good as the news. It’s mesmerizing, dreamy, and kind of Spanish western. If I was pretending to be Quentin Tarantino, I would choose this song for an emotional scene in my movie. Even musicians can marvel at another technical gem. Join the proletariat and get excited for the so-far-nameless album, coming in September. 

About The Author

Sam Sklover was a writer for Jonk Music from 2011-2012.