Reasons to be Grizzly

Caught most of a great set by Brooklyn's Grizzly Bear at the Ancienne Belgique's upstairs ABClub last weekend. The quartet of highly accomplished musicians (two guitars, bass, drums, electronics, flutes, effects pedals and other 'colouring', combined with delicious multi-part harmonies) produce a warm, meandering yet highly melodic combination of Americana and electronica, backed by a '60s psychedelic lightshow (rotating purple oblongs and so forth). A glib one-line description of the fabulous track 'Knife' would be something like "Radiohead playing the Everly Brothers", while 'Colorado' put me in mind of the little-known but sublime late '80s landscape rock of Hugo Largo. Signed to Sheffield's Warp records (a label still mainly known for its techno and electronic roster), Grizzly Bear can cut it on disk too, as the new album, Yellow House, testifies.
In an unfortunate postscript, the band had to cancel the rest of their European tour because much of their equipment was stolen from their van after the show. Some thieves have no taste. Let's hope the Grizzlies are back on the road again soon.