STARS: 3/5
Indie band Grizzly Bear released its fifth studio album, “Painted Ruins,” Aug. 18 showing a clear evolution of the band’s sound. The relatively low instrumental backing and deep tone of lead singer Ed Droste’s voice brings the record to life in a more whimsical way than the band’s other four albums.
The first track, ‘Wasted Acres” has a somber, soothing and somehow welcoming tone. The cynical lyrics like “Were you even listening, were you riding with me, were you even listening” contradict the warm tone.
The album picks up with the second song, “Mourning Sound,” one of the most talked-about tracks on the internet gathering attention from Bastille frontman Dan Smith and Paramore frontwoman Haley Williams. The track’s upbeat combination of synthesizers, drums and the complex lyrics make it one of the best on the album.
The main part of “Mourning Sound” centers around the lyrics “To the sound of distant shots and passing trucks, we walk with the mourning sound.” It conjures up visions of the current state of affairs in the world and is purposely open to interpretation on purpose.
The third track, “Four Cypresses,” brings the tempo down again to an introspective level. Grizzly Bear’s frontman Daniel Rossen told the podcast Song Exploder that the song was born out of an experience he had with a homeless person.
Rossen stated that the lyrics are all about connecting with someone you don’t know, regardless of your social and economic situations, and the idea of displacement.
The fourth and fifth tracks, “Three Rings” and “Losing All Sense” pick up the pace with a more heavy drum influence and lyrics focused on a relationship — like many songs are these days — in such a lyrical way.
Rossen sings “Don’t you know that I can make it better? Don’t you ever leave me” on Three Rings, and on Losing All Sense we feel the mania associated with a breakup as the music is more upbeat and the lyrics at the end explicitly say, “I have lost all control.” It closes out wit Rossen crooning “it’s too late.”
The next couple of tracks keep with the same mysterious lyrics that are open to interpretation by the listener, but the musical backing is some of the most intricate on the album. The last few tracks of the 11 track album consistently bring to light the mesmerizing tone and intricate lyrics.
Overall, fans of the Grizzly Bear in the past are expected to alter their taste slightly in order to fully enjoy “Painted Ruins,” as the band has progressed in their songwriting and the musical intricacy of albums past. Sadly, the best tracks are at the beginning of this album and after song six or so, a listener may simply turn it off because it is so consistent with the tone and lyrics that one could find it monotonous.
One thing is for sure, after five years off the market, Grizzly Bear is back in business and owns the scene with mysterious lyrics and obscure sounds that feel like a good hug between friends – comfortable, warm and odd enough to keep you hanging on to each word they utter.
