In Ear Park

For those who may not be familiar with contemporary improvisational music, there is a label out of Munich, Germany run by Manfred Eicher called ECM. Since 1969, they have produced some of the most beautiful and in some cases, the most highly influential records the genre has to offer. The records are generally done in roughly 3 to 4 days, leaving little room for studio tampering. Eicher is tyrannically opposed to overdubbing and over-producing, allowing the music to retain a very spontaneous atmosphere, as well as a very organic one. The music in most cases, reflects a wider world influence infusing not only elements of modern North American jazz, but classical European harmony and world folk.

The new record from Grizzly Bear member Daniel Rossen and long time musical collaborator Fred Nicolaus reminds me of one of Eicher's records. It's sparse arrangements coupled with dense harmonies and often-shambolic rhythms, brings to mind early Ralph Towner records. The chord structures used here are certainly not the generic ones found on most pop records, as with Grizzly Bear's Yellow House, chords are often realized beyond their mere 3 note applications and extend into the upper regions of the chord's implied harmony (extended 7th's and 9th's). The vocals are recorded in such a way that separating them from the music is impossible. They almost function as an instrument, that's not to detract from the lyrical content, but instead, enhances the experience by placing you as a listener right there with them throughout the whole record.

Discussing the lyrical content of this record would probably be a disservice, mostly because it really does transcend words for the most part. Having said that, the album was dedicated to Rossen's late father and carries with it topic matter that may not have been suitable for a Grizzly Bear project.

Another great strength of this record (along with Yellow House) is the "repeated listen" factor. It is recorded in such a way that the subtlety of the music will not reveal itself upon first listen. There are myriad vocal effects, reverb, and instrumental textures that are layered in a such a way that warrant this music to be experienced alone with a set of hi-fi headphones.

This is record to explore, live with, and more than likely, will be used as a reference 20 years from now as to where independent "pop" music was at the time and who were it's innovators.

While Grizzly Bear has been generating quite a stir, this album appears to have, for the most part, slipped right past the radar. At least, this was the case for me. I picked up this album recently and was impressed with the ability of these two artists to layer simple sounds to create a complex arrangement. I think that most of these songs are best in the context of the album as a whole, in other words the one thing this album doesn't really have is many "hit" songs . That is not to say it is completely void of them however. The track "No One Does It Like You" is particularly good with some catchy hooks. Neither is the lack of hits a bad thing. Albums like this one are best appreciated when you can sit down and devote 3/4 of an hour to listening to the whole thing.

album of the year...and this is the first review? writing about music is ridiculous - listen to it and love it!

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