Ever since putting out their 2006 transcendant masterpiece, Yellow House, Grizzly Bear has enjoyed boundless fan adoration, respect from peers and from veterans like Paul Simon (who invited the band to play for five nights during his month-long residency last April at the Brooklyn Academy of Music) and Radiohead (which had Grizzly open some dates on the second leg of its '08 North American tour), and plentiful praise and accolades from pretty much any music critic with taste (this one included). 'Course, putting out a perfect record is a double edged sword, earning you instant credibility and an overeager fanbase while also adding that heavy weight of worry that any subsequent music you produce will not live up to that last bit of genius.
Since Yellow House, Grizzly Bear has not clocked much studio time — a Daytrotter Session, a Friend EP there, some live appearances at various festivals and special events. Daniel Rossen did his fabulous Department of Eagles thing and put out In Ear Park, a captivating hint at what a new Grizzly Bear album could be. But up until last week, the band's been rather mum about an actual follow-up to Yellow House. But last Friday, they revealed the name (Veckatimest), the new album cover (pictured), the release date (May 26) and the track listing. Today, Pitchfork.com published an interview with frontman Ed Droste. Here are some highlights:
This article appears in Feb 18-24, 2009.