Pitchfork Media

Best New Music

“That an EP of this nature would showcase such an extraordinary leap forward in conviction and virtuosity is practically unheard of-- after all, these things are typically treated as commercial dustbins for outtakes and leftover scraps. But Grizzly Bear is a different beast, and in putting the same care and devotion into this project as they would any other, they've shown that the title applies not just to their musical allies, but to their fans as well.”

LA Times

“[T]he electro-pop 'Knife' by Brazil's CSS and the fractured-Appalachian 'Plans' by Band of Horses in particular show that the essence of the ursine magic is not just creative arrangements, but the depth and versatility of the songs.”

Drowned in Sound

“Friend is a stopgap for existing admirers of Grizzly Bear to truly cherish.”

The A.V. Club

“The Friend EP reflects that road-seasoned maturity with meticulously reworked versions of songs that sound revelatory and new, rather than like subtly tweaked retreads”

A

Spin Magazine

“Like cramming old furniture into a new apartment, the results [of Friend] are disorienting and weirdly invigorating.”

Rolling Stone

“Intentionally or not, Friend gives a vivid picture of Grizzly Bear's strengths and weaknesses — all of which are still in flux. ”

Pop Matters

“Grizzly Bear has expanded their palate here, and proven that they have many tricks still up their sleeve. This is certainly not easily dismissed like most holdover releases, but it builds anticipation for a new record better than any filler disc could hope to.”

Stylus

“Grizzly Bear founds an irresolute, unnavigable place in the space of ten songs: laying to rest in the canyon after taking shape in a sea of weeds. A masterful record from a yellow house where every bit of timber is damp and ready to take fire.”

A-

Pitchfork Media

Best New Music

“Beyond production, Grizzly Bear have stepped up their songwriting in every way, assembling melodies that proceed in a logical fashion but never sound overused or overly familiar. Yellow House is a much better record than we could rightfully have expected from these guys, better, even, than we could have imagined them making . . . [O]ne of the year's best records.”

Pitchfork Media

“The Remixes serves as a revelatory set of reinventions... Grizzly Bear's songs beguile however they're adorned.”

The Guardian

“The lo-fi has gone large-scale, each song slowly unfurling to reveal dense, dreamy rhythms, choirs of silky voices and opulent melodies rich in atmospherics.”

All Music

“...awe-inspiringly huge and intimate at the same time... Yellow House is a beautiful album in its own right, and required listening not just for fans of Horn of Plenty, but for anyone who enjoys ambitious, creative music with an emotional undercurrent.”

Los Angeles Times

February 21, 2007 @ The Troubadour, Los Angeles

“Throughout, co-leaders Ed Droste and Daniel Rossen, drummer Chris Bear and multi-instrumentalist Chris Taylor blended their voices in shimmering cascades that sounded, at times, like medieval motets arranged by Brian Wilson — with Wilson's sometime-collaborator and Grizzly Bear role model Van Dyke Parks looking down from the balcony approvingly. But the music consistently transcended the touchstones. For Grizzly Bear, honoring past heroes is not about sounds, it's about spirit.”

Tiny Mix Tapes

February 9, 2007 @ Subterranean, Chicago

“After The Dirty Projectors wrapped up Grizzly Bear came on stage and proceeded to play the tightest, most flawless set I could have possibly imagined. Their music, which my inferior home speakers unjustly flatten, came totally alive in Subterranean, the dense layers of sound wafting all over the room.”

Cokemachineglow

February 21, 2007 @ The Troubadour, Los Angeles & February 22, 2007 @ Kerckhoff Grand Salon, UCLA, Los Angeles

“Having seen the band perform three times now, it’s safe to say that Yellow House isn’t a one-off or even the work of a successful studio band. The men of Grizzly Bear are craftsmen, and their band is a continual work in progress. In a sense, they haven’t mastered the art of the live performance, but why hone the songs when you can restructure them completely? As evidenced by these shows and the band’s various acoustic radio gigs, its music is meant to be taken apart and put back together like so many Legos.”

Williamette Week's Local Cut

February 19, 2007 @ Mission Theater, Portland

“Last night I saw the best show I have ever seen in my entire life.”

Williamette Week's Local Cut

February 19, 2007 @ Mission Theater, Portland

“The band also noted they weren’t 'used to quite an attentive audience.' As the night continued and I retreated to the balcony (to avoid the loud voices of the bartenders directly behind me on the first level), the crowd finally became responsive. At one point, tribal beats broke down into snaps and claps that got the whole room jittering, creating a subtly full and sublime sound. 'Superb!' 'Magnificent!' they cried at the breakdowns of songs (remember, this is an older crowd). The band even started getting a few hell yeahs.”

MIT's The Tech

February 3, 2007 @ The Iron Horse, Northampton

“I had four equally profound epiphanies, each successive time thinking I'd discovered the band's strongest member. Eventually I realized that the powerful group's greatest asset was unity.”

Brooklyn Vegan

March 7, 2007 @ Bowery Ballroom, New York City

“I already thought Grizzly Bear were an awesome band to see live. Last night (March 6, 2007) at Bowery Ballroom they proved they've been practicing (aka were just on tour for 3 weeks), and they were even better than I thought - definitely the best show I've seen by them yet. Highlights included pretty much everything…”

New York Times

“Grizzly Bear’s songs usually have sparse lyrics and long instrumental episodes, but there’s hardly any jamming; it’s not that kind of psychedelic band. Each song follows its own predetermined and winding path, from oblique introspection to lush chorale to twinkly interludes and brawny guitar chords, not necessarily in that order.”

Pitchfork Media

Live at the Freebutt / Brighton, UK / 2 June 2006

“Just as their performance came to a close, the group drifted into a stunning rendition of 'Colorado'. Like other live favorites 'On a Neck, On a Spit' and 'Knife', it was equal parts soothing and delightfully heartbreaking. Wrapped in subtle, sublime atmospherics, their songs left you feeling like dancing and sighing-- and everything in between. ”

Rolling Stone

“'One guy said, "You're exactly what I want to listen to when I get stoned."'”

New York Times

“With their larger-than-life harmony chorales and meticulous transitions, Grizzly Bear's songs are already cinematic. That makes the 'Friend' EP (Warp) something like extras on a director's-cut DVD.”

Village Voice

“Emotionally evocative, gorgeous yet restrained...”

Pitchfork Media

Infinite Mixtape #32

“['Lullabye'] comes together sounding majestic, slightly hallucinogenic, and appropriately uplifting, an ideal tune to kick off an auspicious day--or a mixtape.”

Under the Radar

“'Like the last song on the album, "Colorado"--the vocal thing at the end--we call it the Lauryn Hill track, because it totally sounds like I'm getting all R&B and stuff,' he laughs. 'People probably wouldn't interpret that.'”

i-D

“The next step is an interesting departure, yet a natural progression.”

New York Times

“Grizzly Bear's debut album Horn of Plenty (Kanine Records) is an overlooked gem from 2004... It's really understated, a great late-night, predawn record, a chill-out record... [Th]e sonic textures are really interesting: they use a lot of acoustic instruments, reed instruments and found sounds, stuff that's beyond the usual rock band thing.”