The blogosphere is all aflutter this morning with news of rising indie stars Grizzly Bear’s third LP. Singer and occasional PopWatch contributor Edward Droste, who’s been chronicling the mixing and mastering process via Twitter, announced over the weekend that the album is finally finished. Stereogum swiftly followed up by revealing its title — Veckatimest, also the name of a tiny uninhabited island in Massachusetts — and a tentative list of songs. Grizzly Bear’s publicist clarified things slightly just now, telling EW that Stereogum got the title right, but not the track list.
In any case, the enthusiasm surrounding this album is well deserved. Last summer Grizzly Bear reached their highest level of exposure yet, debuting Veckatimest‘s "Two Weeks" on David Letterman’s Late Show (below) and touring as Radiohead’s opening act, a.k.a. the coolest gig any band can score. Those performances showed how nicely the band’s sound has evolved, fleshing out their psychedelic folk-rock framework with more upbeat hues and tighter songwriting. Also: Droste, whom I interviewed years ago for my college paper and have exchanged e-mails with from time to time since, is quite possibly the nicest guy in indie rock. All of which explains why Veckatimest is my most anticipated album of ’09 right now. Anyone else eager to hear it?
UPDATE: Grizzly Bear’s publicist adds that Veckatimest is due some time this May, though a specific date has not been set yet. Only three more months to wait!
More on Grizzly Bear and indie rock:
Gallery: The Indie Rock 25
Lollapalooza 08: Grizzly Bear’s Ed Droste blogs his Friday
All Points West: What are you waiting for? Go see Grizzly Bear live already!
This is my most anticipated album of the year. I wish I could listen to it right now.
I heard this on Letterman by chance and I have been compulsively checking news and itunes for this song. Do we have a release date yet?