Grizzly Bear and R.E.M: Forging a Lyrical Smelter

[Pic: Nina Katchadourian, 1996]

Last week, Brooklyn quartet Grizzly Bear debuted Veckatimest to anticipated critical acclaim and ubiquitous blog support. The album combines sonorous vocal melodies with instrumental production that oscillates between instantly accessible pop tracks, such as the brilliant “Two Weeks”, and the more esoteric, but equally fulfilling “Ready, Able.” As these two tracks demonstrate, Grizzly Bear wields an impressive lyrical smelter to push forward the vanguard of musical development.

Yet how original or innovative is the album? Retrospectively, Grizzly Bear and other ‘groundbreaking’ pop artists merely build upon the foundations laid by R.E.M. and Radiohead decades ago.

• Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks (320 kps mp3)
  
• Grizzly Bear - Ready, Able
  

[To download mp3s, open the link in a new window, and then download. All files are CD quality when possible.]

Exhibit One: “Belong” and “Endgame” from the 1991 release of Out of Time, R.E.M.

These two marvelous B-Side tracks underscore the same sort of choral climaxing backed by sprawling bass lines so prevalent two decades later on Veckatimest. Moving to the uber-mainstream, The Killers also inherited this style, on display most readily in “All These Things I’ve Done.”

• R.E.M - Belong
  
• R.E.M - Endgame
• The Killers - All These Things I've Done
  

Exhibit Two: From “Planet Telex” (1995) to “Idioteque” (2000)

Since the influence of Radiohead on contemporary artists is rather obvious, consider the evolution of song production from the psychedelic-pop of “Planet Telex” to the more dark and electronic “Idioteque”. Meld together the core elements of each and the influence on Grizzly Bear, Animal Collective, and Yeasayer is unmistakable.

• Animal Collective - My Girls
• Yeasayer - 2080
  
• Radiohead - Planet Telex
  
• Radiohead - Idioteque
  

Now I just need to draw a link between gangster rap and Grizzly Bear.

• Grizzly Bear - The Knife (Girl Talk Remix)