Silent Hour/Golden Mile is undoubtedly one of the most pleasant surprises of the year. I’ve never really jumped on the Grizzly Bear bandwagon. The indie darlings have been critically claimed for their airtight arrangements, intricate, yet accessible, melodies, and Daniel Rossen’s distinctive, virtuosic acoustic guitar playing. I’ve just always found them slightly ponderous and a chore to listen to at times. With his debut EP, key Grizzly Bear member Rossen has made a spiritual, uplifting record, one that is clearly a product of a man alone with his thoughts and his instrument.
Listening to Silent Hour/Golden Mile, I was reminded of a documentary about monastic life in the French Alps called Into Great Silence. That’s not to say that this EP is completely quiet, for a couple of the tracks have some richly layered textures. Rather, it exudes the kind of contemplation and inner searching associated with the lives of monks. Daniel Rossen has looked within himself and revealed many layers of meaning. Lead track “Up on High” simultaneously invokes the twangy acoustic guitars of Django Reinhardt and the electric melodicism of George Harrison. “Saint Nothing” is a beautiful piano ballad, one that sounds familiar and mystically ancient at the same time. Silent Hour/Golden Mile, although a brief statement, is the kind of record I imagine turning to for both solace and celebration. It’s the sound of a well-established artist trying to come to terms with who he really is.
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