Grizzly Bear's Yellow House Was My Sedate Gateway Into the Warp Story

When Grizzly Bear's Yellow House debuted on Warp in September 2006, the label had long since transcended its early, "bleepy" years to present alternative and experimental music as a more varied whole. By the mid-Noughties, the more electronically inclined fare was complemented with several rock oriented signings, such as Battles, !!!, and Grizzly Bear themselves. These days, the occasional debate still emerges online or at chattier after-parties as to whether Warp remain true to their original vision, or if, over the past two and a half decades, they have morphed into a different beast entirely.

When Yellow House was released, around the same time jokes about Pitchfork ratings, bloggers and Brooklyn scenesters were beginning to percolate into the collective conscience of the record buying public (dare I say it, the hipsters), and Grizzly Bear, with their opaque name and modern interpretation of folksy, classic American rock styles, felt like a contemporary talking point. They were everyone's "favourite new act", dripping in sincerity and understatement. To add to the buzz, by putting their stuff out on Warp Grizzly Bear were exposed to a larger and more varied audience than might have been the case on a standard guitar-indie label. But then, of course, Grizzly Bear are not your standard indie band.

The 'Yellow House' of the album's title was lead singer Ed Droste's Mother's home on the shores of Cape Cod, which was where the album was recorded throughout the summer prior to it's release. The cover, in which light streams through an attic window to reveal a corner of the band's practise space, remains incredibly evocative. Warp had already released a variety of lighter-footed records that deviated from the label's more IDM/industrial roots, but the rustic aesthetic of Yellow House was, in retrospect, a real departure for the label.

Warp's US arm was under the leadership of Simon Halliday, who was attempting a different musical direction with his signings. It was a mixed blessing; while Grizzly Bear remain signed to Warp to this day, acts such as the disco-edged, NY post-punk band The Hundred in the Hands failed to spark, and Maximo Park, whilst commercially successful, soon felt part of a more laddish rock establishment, and somewhat out of step with the label's boundary pushing values. Halliday is now boss of 4AD, where his work since has included the signings of notably Warp-esque artists such as Zomby and Grimes.

At 18, and with little experience on any kind of warehouse rave scene, Yellow House was, for me, a personal revelation (cut words). Arriving at university with mixtapes full of the kind of dull, landfill indie that was soon soundtracking 'The Inbetweeners', and with no elder brother's collection to pinch classic hardcore from, Yellow House's crop of gems quickly became unlikely Freshers anthems.

What's more, if the idea of a Forgemasters or Speedy J fan picking up Yellow House to see how their favourite old label had been getting on since 1991 seems amusing, spare a thought for the young me, settling into a bomb of mephedrone and a Spotify playlist of LFO and Andrew Weatherall's Sabres of Paradise project in order to get up to speed. It might seem odd that a record as seemingly sedate as Yellow House would open a gateway to rave, but that's only testament to the rich back catalogue of Warp, as well as the label's ability to retain a certain spirit whilst reshaping itself gradually and constantly..

'Knife', the album's lead single is unlikely to have you reaching for the "repetitive beats" clause of the Criminal Justice Act, however, largely built around one simple, heartbreaking refrain ("Can you feel the knife?"), its delicate live elements do form a build - disappearing and gently re-emerging over the course of the track. It's a devastating effect familiar in much of the greatest, most emotive club music, and throughout Yellow House, Grizzly Bear understand it pays to be quietly evocative as much as it does to be on the nose. Interviewed at the time, Droste expressed a fondness for the LP's sparse, "vague" lyrics, and their power to leave the record "open to interpretation."

Yellow House is not a particularly easy journey. Despite its earthy texture, the album shares little in common with the label's excursions into "home listening". Standout tracks such as 'Central and Remote' and 'Plans' are imbued with a surprising tension lacking in the band's later work. It's not one to slip on after a big night out; stick to 'Music Has The Right to Children', or one of those aforementioned Warp debates

Grizzly Bear were encouraged to sign to Warp by fans of label-mates Broadcast, but have since stated,  in a 2012 interview with Red Bull Music Academy, that they thought it would be "an interesting move… to be one of the 'interesting' bands on Warp." Of course, most bands on Warp are more interesting than most, but Yellow House is one of the shining examples of the label's aesthetic dexterity. And whilst it slots surprisingly easily into Warp's often more electronic canon, what it shares most in common with the Warp acts  is quality, individuality, and the ability to inspire listeners to dig a little deeper.

You can follow John Thorp on Twitter here: @MrJohnThorp

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