Ellington

The newest album from Brooklyn, N.Y., indie quartet Grizzly Bear, “Shields,” proves that fame doesn’t have to be the end of innovation. Though the band received commercial success with singles like “Knife” in 2006 and the car ad-inhabiting song, “Two Weeks,” in 2009, Grizzly Bear sharpens its claws a bit, dumping a bit of the pop influence for the atmospheric while still remaining comfortably listenable.

Grizzly Bear, which began almost a decade ago as a self-produced labor of love for the band’s Bostonian frontman Edward Droste, helped with the rise of experimental music in the wide-release music market. “Shields” represents another solid entry for the group, and while Droste and company might not create music for the masses, this release has some intriguing and truly beautiful moments that display that there is more than a little experience within the experimental.

“Shields” may be another step further into the realm of psychedelics and from the cozy realm of folk rock, but that doesn’t mean that the earnest songwriting found on Grizzly Bear’s fifth full-length album is anything other than beautiful.

In fact, though some songs on the album lack the vocal melody mayhem that Grizzly Bear is known for, they offer a fresh, haunting bliss. You might even have a hard time pinning down why the whirring electronic bass of “Half Gate” or the slow, accordion-backed rumble of “What’s Wrong” were so engaging.

But Grizzly Bear has never been about figuring out.

The opener “Sleeping Ute” gives an impressive new sheen to the signature semi-folk songs, managing to feel wholly original and smooth, yet edgy. Most importantly, though, it is just an incredibly entertaining listen.

Those hoping for songs without a lot of the frill will find themselves at home with the single, “Yet Again.” It’s a rolling, lightly electronic tune reminiscent of classic psych-rockers The Doors.

Admittedly, I felt that the short instrumental “Adelma” wasn’t interesting or engaging enough to earn its place on the album. The energetic tracks can also feel few and far between if you choose to listen to the listing in order, though for established fans of Grizzly Bear, that shouldn’t be entirely surprised by that fact. Overall, though, the discernibly different sounds from song to song keep the substance high and the atmosphere higher.

At the very least, “Shields” is an impressive piece of relaxed background music with sufficient sharpness to test your musical comfort level and the common concept of beauty. For fans of experimental and alternative artists like As Tall As Lions, Beach House and Explosions in the Sky, “Shields” will make an excellent addition to any playlist—that is, if you haven’t already snatched it up.