Grizzly Bear Go to Church, Craft Ambitious Art-Rock Set

Grizzly Bear’s new album, Veckatimest, sounds like it was recorded in a church ”“ and much of it was. Suffused with gorgeous choral harmonies, the band’s third record was partly put to tape in a worn-down Brooklyn church with peeling paint and an old pipe organ. The group would rehearse there, sometimes all night, working out songs such as ”˜Two Weeks,’ which mixes billowing Beach Boys-style vocals with singer Edward Droste’s loyalty-pledging lyrics about his boyfriend. “There’s a ghostly presence to the building,” says Chris Taylor, the band’s bassist, producer and all-around sonic sculptor. Adds Droste, “It’s a heat box in summer, freezing in winter ”“ but it’s great for singing.”

The band began in 2003 as a bedroom recording project for Droste, who later asked three college friends ”“ Taylor, drummer Chris Bear and co-songwriter/guitarist Daniel Rossen ”“ to join. Sitting in a Chinese restaurant in Brooklyn one afternoon, the men of Grizzly Bear come off as brainy and bookish. Their tour bus is a party-free “quiet zone,” and Droste spends his free time relaxing and cooking at home. “I’ve become more domestic recently,” he says. Halfway through the meal, the waitress blithely puts on Yellow House, the band’s 2006 breakout disc. Taylor is not pleased. “It’s hard for me to listen to this,” he says. “On that record, we were in a transitional period ”“ like puberty.”

The band feels far better about Veckatimest, a lush mix of ornate art rock and swooning pop hooks, which will be supported with a tour that includes a stop at Bonnaroo and a gig with the London Symphony Orchestra. “We learned how to edit ourselves on this album,” says Droste. “But I still hope that on the 20th or 30th listen you’ll discover something new.”

Grizzly Bear’s wonky devotion to creating one-of-a-kind sounds has attracted fans like Paul Simon as well as Radiohead, who asked the band to open for them last summer. “When I heard, I did a little jig,” Droste says. “I was surprised how friendly they were. They actually hung out with us.”