Grizzly Bear - Painted Ruins review: Animal instinct is a winner

Grizzly Bear - Painted Ruins
David Smyth18 August 2017

Here and there on their fifth album, Grizzly Bear recall some other animal bands. Neighbors has the meandering psych-folk feel of Fleet Foxes while the closing track, Sky Took Hold, offers the late-night beauty of Wild Beasts.

Three of the four members have now departed their original New York base for LA, which might partly account for more lightness in the band’s first album in five years.

Mourning Sound is the closest this frequently obtuse group gets to a pop tune, a powerful bass and drum groove topped by a sparkling keyboard line.

The sound is soft and airy on Systole, a rare lead vocal for bassist Chris Taylor. They’re still far from simplistic, however, and Painted Ruins takes time to reveal its many charms.

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