Grizzly Bear – Yellow House (Warp/Inertia)

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“She came to New York City to be a singer in the 1930s, failed, and drank herself to death in the 1940s,” recounts Edward Droste about his great aunt Marla. Her aura radiates seventy years later – a song she recorded was discovered by Edward and appears on Grizzly Bear’ second album.

Aside from Marla’ self-titled track, there is a historical, old school charm to Yellow House – but it’s not a dated sound. Banjos, woodwinds, metallophone (tuned metal bars) and finger-pickin’ acoustic textures combine to create ambient and other-worldly textures – the different elements are mixed effortlessly. The songs retain strong sonic dynamics, from whispered introductions to soaring electric guitars and toms.

Yellow House is a subtle and warm album, more accomplished, polished and expansive than their debut Horn Of Plenty. Where Horn Of Plenty is almost a solo album – it’s origins centre around Edward’ intimate bed-sit recordings circa 2002 – Yellow House is a powerful four-piece ensemble performance, that maintains a warm and seductive presence. With ten tracks over fifty minutes, there is a pleasing symmetry to the album. And it’s a grower too, requiring a focused listen in order to reveal its many layers.

Recorded over a month during a sweltering Cape Cod summer in Edward’ mother’ Victorian (yellow) house – “you could go lay on the couch or go to the refrigerator and grab lemonade” recalls Daniel Rossen, the band’ second songwriter, the album exudes a casual collective intimacy. “We had a cocktail hour religiously every evening out on the back porch. It was sweet, listening to cicadas, looking at the trees as the sun was setting, holding a cocktail. That was always something to look forward to,” Rossen continues. Marla would have approved.

Daniel Jumpertz

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