Customer Reviews

Horn Of Plenty

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

maybe I'm being suckered into the whole grizzly bear/mountain imagery concept, but their music does have a very rustic, log cabin meets 2004 feel. It's sort of hard to describe because it's not exactly like anything else I've heard, at times I hear echoes of nick drake mixed with galaxie 500, but there are distinctly modern elements at play as well. Many of the songs sound like they are on an old vinyl record, and the vocals range from subdued and scratchy to clean and crisp. I've never bothered to take the time to write a review on amazon, but this one I was interested to do so. As far as I can tell they are relatively unknown, but if this album can make it into enough hands I'm sure they will get a huge following, this music is catchy, sad, unique and just about everything right. forget the new folk scene, this is something in its own. at the moment there is only one other CD out with a similar *tone* and that's the new ariel pink, but this beats that album out ten fold----i highly recommend this. no joke.

"Horn of Plenty" is an odd debut album for a band, since it was created before the band proper existed.

Instead, the first Grizzly Bear album is largely the efforts of Ed Droste, and he spreads himself over several genres -- freakfolk, pop, psychedelica and post-rock, layered together into gentle, hypnotic melodies. It's like sitting through a fuzzy, colourful dream and waking just in time for the remixes.

It opens with strange animal noises, and a reverberent hum... and a gentle guitar under a thin layer of murmuring keyboard. It sounds like someone doped Grandaddy. "I'm a deep sea diver with my fins/and underneath your current I do swim," Droste murmurs distantly. "I'm a deep sea diver losing air/and around here I'm sad swimming/you don't care..."

Things get slightly more upbeat in the gentle tripfolk of "Don't Ask" ("I fell into your arms that night/Don't ask"), before trickling into a series of fuzzy, gentle songs: exotic scratchy electropop, fluting indie-rock, ghostly ballads, lo-fi tunes that sound like they were recorded over a walkie-talkie, and shifting epics of shimmering freakfolk. It all finishes up with "This Song," a gentle guitar pop melody that may have a beat, but is as drowsy as a lullaby.

And this release has a second disc of remixed songs, which gives the mellow songs new twists -- jangling strings, a psychedelic reworking, funky dance beats, gentle electronic waves, maracas, grimy rock edges, carnival rock, hard techno, and what sounds like radio static. And these are all done by some brilliant artists -- Final Fantasy, Dntel, Ariel Pink, Efterklang, the Castanets, Alpha, Solex and Safety Scissors.

Grizzly Bear doesn't sound anything like its name would imply -- no rough edges, no rock, no wildness. Just very soothing, mellow fuzz-folk and gently lo-fi indie-postrock, which sounds like a worn-out, half-asleep freakfolker slowly drifting out to sea, in a mist of dreams. Yes, it's that endearing and pretty, but without an ounce of pretension.

Musically, it's layered like the Grand Canyon. At the core, it's made up of gentle guitar riffs and wandering acoustic melodies, but then Droste quietly weaves different sounds over it -- a haze of fuzz, ghostly synth, rattling drums, gentle keyboard melodies, some squiggling vinyl and crackling radio sounds, and a sprinkling of bells, tambourines, flutes, birdsong and other little sounds.

Droste does the same thing with his mellow, gentle, sad voice -- in "Showcase" he layers, echoes and harmonizes with himself, until it sounds like a chorus of Drostes are melting into the powerful melody. Lyrics are almost superfluous, but Droste spins a series of bittersweet songs about wishing that you hadn't lost someone ("My chest hurts a lot tonight/Maybe you can fix that... And when I walk on by, I see you waving...").

Grizzly Bear's debut album is a fuzzy, mournful little gem, and the bonus disc of remixes is pretty good too. Bittersweet, dreamlike and thoroughly enchanting.

this album grew on me a lot this year, so much so I went back and got the remixes which are also strong, but personally I find the originals far more captivating. interestingly ignored by many, this album is a slow burner of quiet but haunting and gorgeous songs. definitely needs close listening before it's subtle beauty reveals itself.

I heard this CD on a whim through a friend of mine a few weeks ago and got my hands on a copy before it was released and I must say it has evolved into one of my favorite CDs of the year. It's very much a lo fi affair but in a new way that seems not only sincere but also innovative. It kinda sounds to me like everything is filtered through a dark dream, the mood is at times sad but the music is consistently beautiful. i think they benefit most from the impressive vocal layering. i highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys such other new folk type bands like iron and wine and animal collective as well as fans of older stuff as the review said syd barret comes to mind ....it definitely straddles a fine line between vintage and modern. it gets five stars because after three weeks of listening to it, it's still in my Cd player and I don't appear to be getting sick of it anytime soon...

I bought this album based on a review that compared them to Syd Barett and Skip Spence, and cautiously/skeptically took a listen. While a lot of moments on this album do have an older psycheldelic vibe, there are definite newer influences here as well. Honestly, I find this particular mixture of new meets old, not to be a rehash, but in this instance, quite fresh and interesting. I certainly haven't heard a lot of the effects/noises I hear in here before, and while some might say it's just pointless experimentation, they all seem deliberate and well crafted. There is a lilting, slow, mournful flow to this album that is haunting in the most beautiful way, with lyrics that float in and out of your conscienceness, and as the reviewer said, enunciation isn't this band's strength, but when you do catch the lyrics they are lovely and sincere...I don't highly recommend a lot of random "new folk" artists, but this one has really captured my attention. Well worth the chance buy. I've already gotten 2 copies for friends. Hope to see them live soon. A+++

Wow. I bought 'Horn of Plenty' on a whim the other day, after I noticed write-ups about this just recently formed NYC trio of bears in almost every other local New York publication and heard people talk about it at a bunch of parties. Grizzly Bear has become my new, grey day, mellow winter album; I've listened to it on repeat on my iPod for two days straight. There are serious concoctions of dark sounds that put you in your own world for the duration of the album, but almost every song is seriously catchy. 'Frolic' and 'My Duchess Anne' have already made it into my 100 Most Played Section. I can't wait for more to come.

It is evident within three minutes of this album that this is something special. Unlike the usual self-recorded crowd, Grizzly Bear uses their constrained space and uses it to blanket their music with a layer of aural insulation. Through these crackles through time, prepare to feel like you are in the woods. This album is one of the most moving I have found in years.

That first track Deep Sea Diver.

Oh man.

That is so sweet when that electric guitar comes in at the end there.

It's underwater space time...you know what I'm talking about. That sweet sweet spot.

And then the whole rest of the album.

Not a bad song on it.

I like their second album as well, but not as much...as this one.

Sounds like nothing else. Sounds like the inside of my brain.

I've had this album for a couple of years now, so I didn't get the remixes. I heard em. They're ok. A nice little treat, but the album its self...finds its way in to CD player...often.

i'm bad at reviews and i'm a bad person because I burned both these discs off a friend but I'm a good person for coming here to tell all that it's good. really good actually.

Probably my favorite CD this year. Each track is like a little gem about love or how to live. "Alligator" is the perfect song to hum when you have a crush on someone. The songs all have an unearthly quality, as if you dreamt them, with soft vocals and great found sounds. It is crazy to think that this is Grizzly Bear's first CD because it is so confident and they have created a whole new sound, which is folky but electric, innocent but totally wise. I can't wait to see these guys in concert- I hear the songs work even better live.