I want to say off the bat that I think Ed Droste, lead singer of Grizzly Bear, is a classy gent. When Grizzly Bear’s third studio release, Veckatimest, leaked at the beginning of this month (nearly 3 months before the album’s May 26th release date) he had this to say…er…Tweet: “So yeah, it leaked. I’m happy people are loving it. Makes me smile! Just remember it’s not a top notch sonic example. So keep that in mind.” What a stud. He followed that up with a very human confession, “I’m trying to be zen about the album leaking because I’m “ok” with it, but I’m bummed. And apparently it’s [a] low quality rip. So now everyone will be judging it off of a crappy rip. Sigh…. Was hoping to make it to at least april! I’m cool with it just….so early!”

Indeed, my reservations in reviewing the album lie in just those realms – it’s a low quality rip and it’s super early. It’s a bit like Picasso painting a masterpiece for your birthday, except that someone ran into his studio, took a picture of the canvas with their cellphone, and emailed it to you 3 months ahead of time. It’s cool, it gets you excited for the real deal, but it also feels like it cheapens the experience a bit.

But, after some thought (and – full disclosure – some listens) I decided to go ahead and review the album. Continue reading →