Knife Digs Into Grizzly Bear
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You know how sometimes you listen to a highly touted band or singer, but something about the artist(s) just doesn’t click. Maybe it was after a recommendation by someone you trust - if you know what I mean, fellow MOGgers. Then, later in the game, you hear an irresistible song that you think that you’ve never heard before, and you’re so excited and delighted, and you must find out who it is. And it turns out to be something that was praised and endorsed before and that you had already dismissed.Last night, I caught the lavishly-praised Brooklyn, NY-based quartet Grizzly Bear as they performed their dreamy, progressive folk-rock/neo-doo-wop ballad “Knife” on “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson,” and I suddenly understood the fuss over them. I mean, hell, The New York Times judged Yellow House, the album that spawned the song, as one of the top releases of 2006. They first dropped some sounds in 2004. They’re among the new wave of thoughtful, expressive pop and rock musicians from Brooklyn that includes one of my faves, The National. So where have I been? Elsewhere, I guess.The appearance on Ferguson’s program was a delight, with all four Grizzlies beautifully, airily weaving vocals into the mix. The melody touched me. The lyrics moved me. In a droll move, the band members all wore fake moustaches during the performance. And I was sold.With a title like “Knife,” I couldn’t ignore the track, and I heard and enjoyed it when it was first released. But I never went back to it after the initial listen, nor did I check out Yellow House. My mistake, rectified today. It’s all beautiful stuff. Even hypnotic. Let it seduce you, if it hasn’t already…For starters, here’s the weird, wonderful video for “Knife”: And here's the version from "The Late Late Show":I’m sure I’m not alone in occasionally ignoring brilliant suggestions about music I should hear. I’m just happy when the great material eventually reaches me, despite my heedlessness.
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