By Devin Duckworth | November 25th, 2011
Chris Taylor, aka producer, multi-instrumentalist and backing vocals for Brooklyn’s Grizzly Bear, has confidently tackled many new projects since the quartets 2009 release, Veckatimest. He started his own label called Terrible Records, produced records for Twin Shadow and Blood Orange, and has broken ground with his recorded and self-produced Dreams Come True, his first solo venture under the CANT moniker.
Entirely different than any previous GB track we’ve heard before, Taylor believes that this record reflects styles he personally enjoys and embraces varieties of music that wouldn’t normally suit the Grizzly Bear aesthetic. In an interview with Spinner, Taylor talks about the process and minor struggles he faced while creating the CANT sound.
“I just kind of did stuff that I liked, and it was unfamiliar territory sometimes. So I had to figure out how I interacted with that… You have to at be objective even though you are just totally subjective. It’s sort of weird, but it’s funny: it’s like you’re in some sort of play, but you are all the characters.”
“Answer” is the track that will probably gain the most exposure for its dark-yet-danceable beats and whispered lyrical eroticism, “all this time you know I needed you/I want you close, close to this.” Full of tender atmospheric beats and vibrant charm, “Answer” displays Taylor’s sultry, layered and almost reverberated vocals that recall a young Phil Collins in his Genesis era fitting perfectly with the 80s style synths and resolute seriousness projected throughout the album.
An electro-laden mixture of anxious beats, ethereal backgrounds and buoyant vocals, this album throws expected out the window and delivers something dynamic, audibly pleasing and greatly impressive.