Album Reviews

I discovered New York’s Grizzly Bear in a most typical way, for me — over the in-store PA system at Amoeba Music here in San Francisco. When their in-store play got to the band’s then-big hit — “Two Weeks,” from their May 2009 album Veckatimest — I realized I had indeed previously heard the song’s distinctive, earworm-inducing, millennial-whoop-flavored signature hook. Soon enough, I started collecting the Grizzly Bear catalog on vinyl.

While I’ve enjoyed my 180g Veckatimest reissue, I’ve long suspected there might be more depth tucked away in the recording. Thus, I was excited to learn the good folks at Vinyl Me Please (VMP) were re-releasing Veckatimest in a half-speed mastered, 45rpm colored vinyl edition.

I’m always surprised just how many people haven’t heard of Grizzly Bear. Calling them “indie rock” doesn’t really do them any justice, since indie rock doesn’t usually feature Mellotrons, multi-part harmonies, and bass guitar solos. Grizzly Bear also isn’t afraid to break out rich nylon-string acoustic guitars akin to English artists from the late ’60s and early ’70s. In some ways, the music on Veckatimest leans much more toward Gentle Giant, early Genesis, and some choice Robert Wyatt albums. Imagine what might have happened if the lead singer from Beirut, another Brooklyn-based group I like, went to a Summer of Love/Acid Test afterparty meditation jam with Jeff Buckley, Lamb-era Peter Gabriel, Graham Nash, David Crosby, SMiLE-era Brian Wilson, and Procol Harum. The music they all might have made together may well have started to sound like Grizzly Bear. And now, to the vinyl. In general, this VMP edition is the best version of Veckatimest I’ve heard to date, with richer bass and midranges complementing the clean high-end. The standard-weight vinyl pressing is happily quite nice for the most part. (More on that in a moment.) It is well-centered, and both colored-vinyl variant discs in the set (orange/pink) are quiet. The music jumps out of the speakers, and the disc effectively disappears from your mindset.

There is a lot of lovely detailing coming across in the new 45rpm VMP version of Veckatimest. The low fuzz bass lines are much more distinct, resonant, and prominent on the opening track, “Southern Point.” The drum sounds are bigger and more resonant. There’s nice soundstage apparent on tracks like “Hold Still.” The guest backing vocals from Victoria Legrand (of Beach House fame) on “Two Weeks” are more distinct amidst the rest of the band’s harmonies. “Ready Able” opens with a musical interlude that sounds especially gorgeous now — almost like an outtake moment from Brian Wilson’s September 2004 SMiLE album.

In general, VMP’s Veckatimest feels far less compressed than my earlier pressing. I’m sensing more presence of the house-turned-studio where much of the music was recorded (on Cape Cod, of all places) coming through my speakers. This is very apparent on “Two Weeks,” which feels more open and airy. Little details such as the Partridge Family-esque harpsichord arpeggiating behind the chorus sections of that song appear much more distinct here. Perhaps most importantly for me, there is far less of that telltale hard digital edge, particularly around the lead vocals on the new VMP pressing. I can turn this up good and loud without feeling harshness threatening to take over the music — a common casualty I hear in many modern productions.

The stereo separation on the VMP version of Veckatimest is significantly improved. Comparatively, at times my earlier 180g version feels like near-mono (it isn’t, but I wonder if it was originally mastered with portable and automotive listening in mind). This new version feels quite a bit more cinemascopic, in that sense.

The mastering is overall much nicer on the new VMP Veckatimest, albeit a little louder than my earlier pressing. Curiously, the tracks fill up essentially the same amount of physical disc space at 45rpm as the 33 1/3 pressing. So, what’s the big difference here? It is the same original album after all, not a remix. Well, assuming all other production elements are constant, the one significant variant I noticed from production notes on the VMP website is their pressing of Veckatimest had its new 45rpm half-speed mastered lacquers cut by Barry Grint at Alchemy Mastering At AIR, the mastering arm of the legendary recording studio created by the late, great Sir George Martin. I suspect that’s probably a pretty significant factor in delivering this fresh perspective on these recordings.

The only production disappointment with my particular Veckatimest pressing is there was an odd sort of scratch on one side, resulting in a click through one song. I’ve alerted the folks at VMP about this, and I’m hoping I’ll get a replacement sometime soon. (Also hopefully, my copy is just a one-off anomaly.)

My only other nit is it would have been nice if VMP had reproduced the 12-page booklet as included in the original UK pressings. However, the new version does include its own simple but useful booklet featuring a fine perspective essay by writer Sophie Frances Kemp. The new edition also includes a lovely, suitable-for-framing art print by cover artist William J. O’Brien.

All in all, I am very happy with this fine reissue of a 21st Century progressive pop classic, and have no issues recommending the VMP edition of Veckatimest to you.

(Mark Smotroff is an avid vinyl collector who has also worked in marketing communications for decades. He has reviewed music for AudiophileReview.com, among others, and you can see more of his impressive C.V. at LinkedIn.)