Friend

by Grizzly Bear

Overview

At 11 tracks long, Friend barely qualifies as an EP, and yet it's far too weird and scattered -- in the best possible way -- to work as a full-fledged Grizzly Bear album. As kitchen sink eclectic as Yellow House was polished and cohesive, Friend tosses new versions of songs from both Yellow House and Horn of Plenty in with new songs, covers, and cameos from some of the band's closest pals. The reworkings of Horn of Plenty tracks are some of the mini-album's most striking moments: "Alligator (Choir Version)" turns the song from homespun glitch-pop into trippy, thundering rock, with Beirut and the Dirty Projectors lending their voices to the aforementioned choir. "Shift" is just as fragile and spooky here as it was in its original version, but its expansiveness shows just how much Grizzly Bear's sound has grown -- literally -- since the Horn of Plenty days. On the flip side, the band distorts and deconstructs the songs from Yellow House almost beyond recognition. "Little Brother (Electric Version)" trades the original's delicate picking for huge riffs, while two of Yellow House's other definitive songs, "Knife" and "Plans," get makeovers courtesy of two bands that couldn't sound more different from Grizzly Bear or each other. CSS turns "Knife" into fizzy synth pop that actually sounds like a song by the Knife, while Band of Horses brings out the rustic heart of "Plans" with banjo and terrific close harmonies. Interestingly, the cover of "Knife" by Atlas Sound (the solo project of Deerhunter's Bradford Cox) comes the closest to Grizzly Bear's usual sound, if there is such a thing, out of anything on Friend. Grizzly Bear also contributes a cover, a striking version of "He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss)" that underscores the song's romance and menace -- as well as its wall of sound production -- while subverting it. Songs like this and the wild, untitled surf instrumental that closes Friend don't exactly fit together in any obvious way, other than showing that Grizzly Bear is no stranger to reinventing themselves. Still, their loose ends are more interesting, and often more satisfying, than many other bands' most ambitious, accomplished music. ~ Heather Phares

Product Details

Release Date:	11/06/2007
Label:	Warp
UPC:	0801061016326
Rank:	240966

Tracks

1. Alligator
2. He Hit Me
3. Little Brother
4. Shift
5. Plans
6. Granny Diner
7. Knife
8. Plans
9. Knife
10. Deep Blue Sea
11. [Untitled]

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Grizzly Bear   Primary Artist
C.S.S.   Primary Artist
Atlas Sound   Primary Artist
Band of Horses   Primary Artist
CSS   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Danny Kadar   Audio Production,Audio Engineer,Producer,Engineer
Chris Taylor   Audio Production,Producer,Engineer,Composer
Daniel Rossen   Audio Production,Producer,Engineer,Arranger
Bradford Cox   Audio Production,Producer,Engineer
Zach Condon   Performer,Composer
Grizzly Bear   Composer
Amber Coffman   Performer
Gerry Goffin   Composer
Dave Longstreth   Performer
Traditional   Composer
Amelia Bauer   Illustrations,Photography
Ben Tousley   Design
Ami Spishock   Management
Josh Faught   Logo