Cool! Walkmen will be great in that setting....

"[Precious] tends to be borderline homophobic in its coded usage"

thats really not true. and i think he knows that, evidenced by the qualifiers (tends to be borderline).

also, jeez, everyone loves your band. this guy from the times doesn't. okay, welcome to life buddy. stop being so precious about it.

I thought precious was something to do with Lord of the Rings?

Ben Ratliff and Jon Pareles are good critics.

The usage of "precious" is only homophobic in the sense that it was the name of Jame Gumb's poodle.

EEEEEEKKK! This free, paying? Whatever! I'd love to see The Walkmen and Grizzly Bear there :)

"Twee" and "precious" are not homophobic terms.

His defense of the review is the very definition of "precious." Never a great idea to respond to reviews.

Oh, and by the way: Nico MEHly

Please unpack the coded usage of this critique:

Grizzly Bear fucking suck.

coded message: cerpvbhf

this guy, Nico Muhly, has a problem with reviewers using the word "precious," intimating (no, declaring) that it is a code word used by homophobes? in all seriousness, is this person insane? he clearly needs to be committed.

for him to suggest that a word like "precious" denotes disdain is mind-boggling. it's almost enough to turn one off to the music that this person is associated with before one even gets to hear it.

i've been quite interested in exploring the music of grizzly bear. but if their artistic expressions include such an ignorant twee individuals such as "nico" muhly, then i better re-think that musical foray.

MEH!

it's precious how you can check out nico's "discographie" on his website.

God forbid someone call out the new Grizzly Bear album for being boring. It makes "Yellow House" look like "Fun House".

This Nico guy is a fucking loser.

Nico is actually brilliant and his critique spot on . The Chinese food comment at the end made me lol and basically sums it up for me. Why go to a show to review music you already don't like? Makes no sense. It was a poorly written review of a fucking amazing show. Grizzly Bear are great musicians that care about putting on a great technically stunning show. If that "bores" you or makes you "grit your teeth" then fuck off and go to a hold steady show and shut the fuck up already.

People will be feel threatened by Nico and his comments because he's 100 x smarter and successful than all these commenters. Scoring the soundtrack to the reader, doing symphonies around the world. He's educated and outspoken and frankly really smart. This in turn, scares brooklynvegan commenters silly to the point where they just comment "this nico guuy is a fucking loser"

p.s Grizzly Bear are great, and the new album is way more interesting and exciting than Yellow House

oh so if I read Nico right, the fact GB is precious is a given and doesn't have to be stated. Its like going to a metal show and saying it was heavy (following his chinese food anology, which I guess means he really likes Chinese food). Grizzly Bear? more like Teddy Bear.

Yeah. Grizzly Bear? More like Yogi Bear.

so much hate in the world, so little time.

#1) nico is amazing and probably one of the most respected young modern classical composers operating right now (mothertongue is amazing).
#2) i think, while it might be a bit of a stretch, he presents a compelling argument.

anonymous 12:55 - "nico" is not brilliant. einstein was brilliant. and i guess, in YOUR universe, only shiny happy reviews are allowed. no negative criticism, heaven forbid! everything must be as perfect as the twisted hipsters perceive it to be. i suggest you grow up and expand your consciousness.

and anonymous 1:03? "nico" is not '100 times smarter' than anybody first of all (except, perhaps, you). what his childish diatribe revealed is his utter ignorance (about language, music reviews, life). he's traveled and scored symphonies and soundtracks? i know people who've traveled further and scored nothing more than a high score on a videp game who are more informed than said "nico."

nobody is frightened (let alone brooklynvegan commenters) by this person's whining. we are a bit amused by the ignorance of his statements, however, and the stupidity of his defenders.

i don't like led zepplin. i just don't. and i don't think robert plant cares, and doubt he would hold any ill will towards me because of my opinion. but this grizzly boy lowers himself by engaging with critics, some of whom are bound to not like his music. this doesn't mean his music is bad or he isn't a smart person or i am jealous of him. he should just stay above the fray and make more of his supposedly "amazing" symphonies and whatnot. do your thing, live your life, have fun with your fans. don't worry about the new york times. it's all good buddy boy.

1:03 Grizzly Bear is great. Singular. Thanks

i'll be at the AC show in brooklyn instead

>>"People will be feel threatened by Nico and his comments because he's 100 x smarter and successful than all these commenters."<<

Y'know why this comment makes me laugh so fucking hard? I've MET Nico, and while he certainly seems like a decent, likeable guy, I've felt more "threatened" by a tube of toothpaste. And my Lord, who the hell cares how "successful" he is?!? Is that your example of a demeaning remark?

Take a look in the mirror--that L on your forehead is getting larger.

new york times loved grizzly bear at bonnaroo and BAM

ben ratliff is a chump. Nico is a sweetheart.

town hall shows were great= reviewer's a huge douche.

Animal COllective blew at bonnaroo, one should never choose to see them over GB

i saw anco at bonnaroo and in a club a few weeks earlier. they werent as good at roo b/c the sound was fucked on the stage and it was during the day. i've seen grizzy bear 3 times and anco twice and would go to anco in a heartbeat over them. both great bands though.

never seen live music at the guggenheim, but if it's anything like their DJ events, well, that just a fucking shame.

Most musicians dont give a fuck, they have a take it or leave it attitude. but I guess Nico is think skinned....

also its not like NY TImes has an editorial policy on who they like, they have more than one writer covering music and im sure they dont all agree on everything.

"Why go to a show to review music you already don't like? Makes no sense."

Nononono. We need more of this. Please. Send critics to see shows by bands they don't like. Give critics albums by artists they don't like. I'm tired of reading the relentless critical cock sucking of Grizzly Bear (and I like some of their music). We need a broader spectrum of opinion out there.

"Why go to a show to review music you already don't like? Makes no sense."

One of the stupider things said on BV today at least. Yes, let's just send critics and writers to things they already like. It's a good way to foster a competitive marketplace. Grizzly Bear may be getting their collective cocks sucked by mainstream critics, but real music fans know they are just another boring as fuck "indie" band that is designed to appeal to pretentious white college students who think they know what good music is because they read Pitchfork (and Brooklyn Vegan).

anon 2:32 made my point far better than i did (anon 1:16).

excellent comment regarding "pretentious white college students who think they know what good music is because they read Pitchfork (and Brooklyn Vegan)."

i will say, though, that BV is a great site while pitchfork should JUST GO AWAY.

anyone who thinks the word precious is homophobic is a fucking loser in my book. That goes for all the Nico apologists that are on his dick.

The only cretin lower than a critic on the douchebag food chain is someone who bothers to "respond" to a critic's review of their work that they disagree with (especially in such an asinine manner).

Note to Muhly: go suck Kanye's dick and get over yourself, assfuck.

everyone commenting on this thread is pathetic. Talented people make good music that people like, bored office drones in cubicles bitch and moan. Another day, another squadron of bitching by pussy anonymous assfucks. Go make a great album and link to it on the BV comments so we can all hear what great music REALLY is.

Tools

actually the bitching and moaning is coming from the talented person making good music that people like. but i guess since he doesn't work at a cubicle he's cool and his opinion matters. seems a little messed up.

NIco isn't bitching and moaning. He's actually taking on a review in an intelligent interesting manner. I think he raises some interesting points.

anon 1:26! You don't like zeppelin? Shame on you!

"The word 'homophobic' is gay."
- Anal Cunt

grizzly bear, whatever

let's get down to a much better band. the walkmen. anyone think it's possible to catch both the animal collective show in prospect park (event time 5:30) and the walkmen?

hmm...guggenheim closes at 7:45 (and 5:45 on other days, including the friday this show is on...)

and animal collective will most likely play at 7:30 if there's an opening band...

thoughts? also wonder how much this walkmen show will cost when i can just opt for the august 16th free one.

the fact the that someone from the nytimes took the time to review a show s/he didn't like means that grizzly bear is big.

The "borderline homophobic" thing is pretentious bullshit, but everything else he said is pretty spot on. Most critics aren't really musicians, the way most book reviewers are writers, so they resort to meaningless flowery adjectives that are ultimately reflective only of their subjective, boring liberal arts grad perspective.

7:23 - by subway it will probably take you an hour to hour and a half to get there. If you get there by 9 you're ok by that time AC should be half way through. I might do that because i dont like AC anymore and I dont have a ticket but will go just to listen from outside then come here next day and talk about how much they suck.

AC are horrible and meaningless live. They used to be amazing live (check out the recent box) but not for over five years.

AC - horribly pretentious. At this point Id rather go see Tiny Masters of Today.

$45? Whoa.

Its hard to say anything good on this board without it sounding sarcastic but siren fest was off the chain. Such an amazing venue, great sound, and great linup once again.