While You Wait for the Others

This masterfully arranged Grizzly Bear track is wonderful on several levels. First, there are those ghostly vocals, which come from all four members, gently melding together their very different voices. You have Chris Taylor’s high notes, you have Ed’s lower register, which also seems to have a faraway quality. In particular, the wavering, wordless harmonies on the chorus pack in plenty emotion without leaning on language. Second, there is Christopher Bear’s understated drumming that, with nary a peep from the bass drum, whispers only on the upper frequencies, carrying that unbearable lightness even higher. Third, there are the great instruments: the Guild T-50 SB and the toy sampler Yamaha VSS-30. Fourth, the whole crazy architecture: the guitar’s flowing melody, the odd tuning, Dan’s chord changes.

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