Pitchfork

On the just-released Friend EP, Grizzly Bear's "Little Brother" gets born again, "electric". What was-- on last year's stunning Yellow House-- a wispy, acoustic guitar-led piece of pastoral psych-pop is now an obliterating elemental force. It's a standout from the Brooklyn group's latest record, an unusually accomplished artistic statement disguised as a throwaway odds 'n' sods ('n' guest covers) disc. But you don't have take my word for it.

Awarding the album 8.5 and Best New Music honors, Pitchfork's Ryan Schreiber writes: "Though roughly the same length as the Yellow House version, Friend's "Electric" is written almost from scratch. Now a thundering pop powerhouse, it shows Grizzly Bear at the absolute peak of their present powers. Eviscerating the song's earlier structure, 'Little Brother (Electric)' revisits just one of the original sections, building everything around it-- including its stunning, explosive fireworks finale-- from the ground up. Here, Grizzly Bear transform from purveyors of delicate fairytale psych to steamrolling rock juggernauts, resulting in the most immediate, accessible, and concrete track in their current catalog."

Now that Ryan has magnanimously done my Forkcast work for me, that leaves more time to listen to this new EP (and figure out which song to do for Pitchfork karaoke). You can listen to the entire thing right now over at Grizzly Bear's MySpace, where all 10 tracks are currently streaming. 'Cause the Friend EP is for lovers.

[from the Friend EP; out now on Warp]