Grizzly Bear released their fourth album in September called Shields. It is by far my favorite work that they have ever produced. I've tipped my hat to them before, but this album has put them center stage. I don't mind shoe gazing, we all do it on the subway. Don't have a strong aversion to it, but I much prefer the directness they explored with Shields. It's more lyric-heavy and open, it feels more structured. The ideas are almost separated out so that they can shine, and the ideas are really compelling. The lyrical moods seem to speak to the perseverance of the soul, haunted by the past, trying to carve out a path for itself before its too late, struggling with the desire for freedom but also wanting the comfort of intimacy. The lead singer, Ed Droste, speaks directly to this :
"There's a desire to be autonomous, but there's also this great fear of being alone, and there's this constant feeling of, how do you reconcile this?’ There's this need for space, but there's also this, 'come closer come closer.’"
Gun Shy
A Simple Answer
