Sam Recommends: “Ready, Able” by Grizzly Bear

Some bands take time to grow on us. Or, in my case with Grizzly Bear, it took time for me to grow into them. In fact, it took nine whole years.

I remember playing “Two Weeks” obsessively after first hearing it at a party in 2009. What I don’t remember is taking the next logical step and giving the full album it came from, Veckatimest, a proper listen. Couldn’t tell you why.

It wasn’t until this past spring, when I saw Grizzly Bear on the summer concert lineup for The Hollywood Bowl, that I finally took that next step and fell ears over feet in love with this album.

It’s hard to think of another band quite like Grizzly Bear. Each of the voices in this band are utterly gorgeous, and the harmonies they create together are equal parts hypnotic and transcendent. I feel transported to new places in my mind with each listen.

Last night, I went to that Hollywood Bowl show, and I fell even more in love with the band and their music. Not all bands can deliver on the magic of their albums in a live performance, but Grizzly Bear is one of the few bands I’ve seen that takes the magic of their songs even further, and in unexpected directions.

This is my most-played track on Veckatimest. I hope that you’ll give the whole album a listen, and that it won’t take you nearly a decade after hearing this song to do so. Take it from someone who’s been there: you’d be missing out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Puph1hejMQE(Song recommendation by Samantha Lamph/Len)