Grizzly Bear
“Sleeping Ute”
From Still Untitled New Album (out 9/18)

It was an absolutely incredible week for music, but as I was busy with finals, I have fallen behind on my coverage. But don’t worry, I will make it up in the next few days. Of all the incredible tracks that dropped this week, none can trump the first single from this incredibly influential, BK avant-folk outfit’s highly-anticipated fourth LP. “Sleeping Ute” combines the jangly, guitar-driven, freewheeling style of their seminal 2006 LP Yellow House with the polished production of 2009’s breakthrough Veckatimest. Lead by Daniel Rossen’s dexterous, tongue-twisting guitarwork and his confident croon, the track is a perfect example of Grizzly Bear’s rare ability to craft songs that are immediate and accessible, while remaining esoteric and unexpected. Make no mistake; this is pop music, but it’s extremely sophisticated — lyrically, sonically, compositionally — pop music. There aren’t a lot of bands that can do that, and that’s why that class of band — your Animal Collectives, Radioheads, Grizzly Bears, etc — are often praised to the high heavens and absolutely deserve to be.

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