Hot on Facebook

Guy Buys $123 Safe on eBay, Finds $26,000 Inside Seller tries to get half the cash back, fails »

Grizzly Bear Makes New Friend

Band's new EP isn't just an encore, critic says

By Sam Gale Rosen, Newser Staff

Posted Nov 6, 2007 11:55 AM CST

(Newser) – At first glance, Grizzly Bear's new EP, Friend, appears to be a reworking of material from the band's well-received Yellow House. Not so, writes Pitchfork Media critic Ryan Schrieber. Although the new disc contains old songs and covers, these are thoroughly transformed, making Friend "a very well-disguised, 31-minute mini-LP of newly recorded (and largely newly written) material," Schrieber writes.

Schrieber calls the EP "an extraordinary leap forward in conviction and virtuosity," which makes the best Yellow House songs "sound formless by comparison." The only weak spots are three songs from the previous album covered by other artists, which "disrupt Friend's otherwise seamless, cohesive flow."

[Images (4)]

[Videos (1)]

Grizzly Bear - Easier (Mahler4EVA (YouTube))

Grizzly Bear just released its new album, "Friend," to critical acclaim. (Warp Records)

Grizzly Bear - Knife (taken from Yellow House) (WarpRecords (YouTube))

Lullaby - Grizzly Bear (essaylikenephew (YouTube))

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

Grizzly Bear - Knife (taken from Yellow House) (WarpRecords (YouTube))

View larger videos >>

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next »

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Flaming Lips Back to Bizarre With Embryonic

'Sprawling' double album should please longtime fans

(NEWSER) - The Flaming Lips are no stranger to reinvention, having transformed “from garage-punk misfits into a splendorous, kaleidoscopic rock outfit,” then later “into a sophisticated, sincere symphonic-pop troupe bestowed with increasing commercial acclaim.” The release of Embryonic marks another sea change—and it’s the band's boldest effort since 1997's Zaireeka, writes Stuart Berman for Pitchfork. “There's a raw directness to Embryonic that's been largely absent from Lips records since the mid-'90s.” More»

Paramore's Latest One of Year's Best

Group is a welcome 'throwback' and—thanks to Hayley Williams—soars

(NEWSER) - Paramore’s third album will likely enter the charts at No. 1—and it deserves to. Not only is it “the group’s best record yet,” Brand New Eyes is “one of 2009’s most exhilarating releases,” writes Jonah Weiner for Slate. “That sense of exhilaration” is there because of “a reassuring, masterfully executed blast of the familiar,” including “a series of stadium-size vistas, full of cathartic rushes and sudden, dramatic plummets.” More»

Built to Spill Back in Top Form

Formerly great indie rockers make a triumphant comeback in There Is No Enemy

(NEWSER) - Built to Spill went from producing “some of the most ambitious and resonant indie rock ever made” in the 1990s to “merely existing” in the 2000s. With its "unexpectedly terrific” new release There Is No Enemy, the band offers “an improbable late-career reawakening and heartening evidence that becoming dependable doesn't mean having to settle for being predictable,” writes Jayson Greene for Pitchfork. More»

Girls' Debut 'Dizzily Powerful'

Up-and-coming band 'getting a ton of blog love' for 'heartbreaking' debut

(NEWSER) - The frontman of the pop duo Girls has a backstory that’s “epically sad and squalid and ultimately triumphant,” but you don’t need to know his history to recognize Girls' debut, Album, as “a dizzily powerful piece of work,” writes Tom Breihan for Pitchfork. Christopher Owens’ voice sounds like “every sad nerd genius in pop history,” singing “simple songs about heartbreak” as though he’s “been listening to oldies radio in his sleep his whole life.” More»

Beatles Remasters Pack a Wallop

CDs showcase Fab Four as they were meant to be heard

(NEWSER) - The Beatles just got better: every one of their original albums and a batch of collected singles has been remastered, boosting the quality to the level “the Beatles themselves would have heard and intended,” writes Matt Hurwitz in the Washington Post. The stereo CDs remind us that the Beatles were a “rock band”: these recordings pack a punch not heard on the older discs. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Grizzly Bear Makes New Friend