Yellow House
by Grizzly Bear

If Animal Collective attempted a folk album this would be what it sounds like. Very spacey and low fi throughout. It’s a notch below Veckatimest and Shields but not a bad album by any means.

As a Pink Floyd and Sufjan Stevens fan (both mentioned before), it is not my cup of tea. Some nice melodies towards the second half but still not enough for me to give it a good rating.

From Repo 03/13/2017 21:05 | #187371 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

It's always funny looking back. I was initially disappointed by Yellow House. I loved the hazy, recorded under sea sound of Grizzly Bear's debut Horn of Plenty. Lo-fi being my drug of choice and all. But the splendor of Yellow House quickly won me over and there's no question it may be the epitome of what indie rock sounded like back in 2006. The sound is halfway between the colossal folk rock of Sufjan Stevens and the psychedelic campfire music of Animal Collective that were both blowing up at the time. In a way it's actually the perfect gateway drug into the Animal Colletive world while being far more accessible.

Anyways, this album is simply beautiful and rewards repeat viewings. Definitely an album Pink Floyd fans would like.

Grade: It's ESSENTIAL indie rock and one of the most important indie rock albums of the 2000s.

I was really surprised upon hearing this album having listened to all Grizzly Bear albums in reverse order. I didn't expect the vocals to be so subtle and textural (as opposed to how up front they are in Veckatimest/Shields).

The whole listening experience is so dreamy that there isn't one track that stands out to me, it all just sort of blends together. Instead of hearing a bunch of distinctly separate tracks, I'm hearing a constant stream of really rich chord progressions and changes of mood, so whenever I reflect on it after listening, I'm thinking about individual moments I really enjoyed (those woodwind chords at the very start, the "chin up, cheer up, chin up" part, "each day, I spend with me now" etc.).

I don't know if it's even fair to compare it to Veckatimest or Shields (two excellent albums which I personally can't even choose a favourite between). It still noticeably sounds like Grizzly Bear, but with much more of a fantasia to it. This album may be my favourite of their's given that it still really surprises me, even after several listens.

Grizzly bear's second album is a much better record than their debut. Yellow house, is inventive, atmospheric, and deeply moving. The feel of the song is as important as anything else, and the band shift from one mood to another on an album that takes a few listens to fully digest. Consistently interesting, Yellow house, is an extraordinary record from an extraordinary band.

From HoldenM 06/22/2015 19:12 | #144396

Fantastic debut/not-debut.

From junodog4 10/08/2014 02:27 | #123672

The amazing sound is there, but it doesn't capture me like the next two albums.

From swagnadalf 08/13/2014 00:15 | #119355

Wow. That bear is really good at guitar. (Edited)

From Gooz 02/03/2014 14:39 | #102136 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

'On a Neck, On a Spit' is the highlight for me. Really great

From HazeyTwilight 11/28/2013 19:09 | #95214 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

Playful, rural, pleasant and evocative; These are the words I can think of to describe this special piece of work. Yellow House was a treat to listen to the first time I heard it. To the very descriptive lyrics, the transcendent vocals and the natural sound of the production. Some of the most catchiest and meticulous songs in the indie folk spectrum.