Grizzly Bear Live At Scenic

Grizzly Bear
Tonic, December 9, 2005

Dynamics are a little overrated, sometimes you want a band with a slow hand (and, er, an easy touch). Grizzly Bear (a GREENPOINT band, not a WILLIAMSBURG band) are best when they shimmer, moving like eyes in REM sleep. When they get loud that’s okay too–but it doesn’t always have to be about the difference does it?

It’s so odd imagining this band as a one man project, since the other three members paint the songs with the most translucent bits of flute and clarinet. The band is also great at balancing creep and beauty, their harmonies are uncomfortable, but washed with autoharp they even out, pounding, overdramatic drums and loops are nothing against the banality of the lyrics (“My chest hurts todayâ€? the most obvious and thus exampled lyric).

Opener Tyondai Braxton played loops that sounded like Darth Vader breathing with an iron lung, quicksaw inhales and throaty exhales. All I can say besides that is some girl in a faux leopard fur jacket took a lot of pictures of him. She obviously had a crush on him, which is weird, how do you fall for some dude who makes groans come out of boxes?

Grizzly Bear – “Fix It” (thanks Spin.com)