Grizzly Bear Shields

This expanded edition of Grizzly Bear’s 2012 album Shields features the album plus some b-sides and extras (which are also offered separately as Shields: B-Sides). The original album is noted for the disparate contributions from its four members, resulting in a multifaceted and thoughtfully layered sound. Repeated listening frequently rewards, with newly discovered textures and details. The b-sides include a Nicolas Jaar remix of “Sleeping Ute” that sends the song deeper into space and a Lindstrom remix of “gun-shy” that adds a few minutes and turns the song into a disco track. The Marfa, Texas, demos of “Taken Down” and “Will Calls” cut the songs closer to their core and are the true draw among the extras, as fans have likely read about how “disappointing” the sessions were to the band and can now hear that the results are nothing of the sort. In many ways, earlier-draft Grizzly Bear recordings are equal, if not outright superior, to the worked-over finished products.