Remember when bands cared about albums as an art form? Instead of slapping together a dozen tracks because, hey, they'll just end up on everyone's iPod shuffle anyway, musicians considered how their songs might congeal as a whole or form some sort of dramatic arc. Allow Grizzly Bear to reintroduce you to that concept.
Remember the White Album, Bowie's Low, or Pavement's Brighten the Corners-albums that established themselves with a powerful first song only to further blow your mind with an even stronger track two? Openers "Southern Point" and "Two Weeks" pack that one-two punch. The "High Fidelity Principle" states that track three then needs to cool it down, lest you wanna blow your wad. "All We Ask" follows suit with a minute of transitional, stark guitar plucking. "Dory" is that creepily beautiful interlude before the second act, "I Live With You" the dramatic conclusion before the tear-jerking dénouement of "Foreground."
