Grizzly Bear's Veckatimest
I listened to this album four times through before deciding that I, in fact, like it. Why the long wait? Grizzly Bear's Yellow House was a weekly listen for me in a previous lifetime.
It took me some time because of a lurid fascination with The Department of Eagles. Obviously, Rossen's side project would share influences; the greater problem is that In Ear Park is just better. Why listen to the inferior product?
I don't know if I've changed my mind yet (In Ear Park might be the best album I've heard in forever), but I won't ignore Veckatimest any longer.
The good: "Southern Point" is a deftly-packaged strings-heavy jam that features intoxicating changes in rhythm and slick vocal composition. "All We Ask" strings together Dan Rossen's ethereal warbling with some neat synth and plucked guitar in a manner that's similar to The Department of Eagles' "Herringbone."
The bad: I could pick at points in "Two Weeks" or "Cheerleader," but they're balanced and strong. The second half of the album wanes a bit.
