First, a disclaimer: I’ve always been a sucker for harmonies. Can’t say where it’s originated from, but it’s built into these bones. Goes back to the Beach Boys and Spector’s female vocal arrangements. That being, I swooned for Grizzly Bear, whose voices build into beautifully complicated contraptions. The four-part harmonies are their strong point, and each member somehow holds their own. Take Ed Droste: soft yet strong, with almost heavenly tone running from a rich vibrato to something high and light. Or Daniel Rossen: a sweet strong voice that settles deep within your ears. Or Chris Taylor, working not just vocals but an arsenal of instruments, and still supplying the high vocals on “Knife,” which gives the song wings to fly or maybe fins to swim. It all meets in a strange but perfect place. It’s simple to see even in the band’s stage position: they gave spectators a feeling of community by standing in a shoulder-to-shoulder line instead of the traditional lead singer in the front and bass, guitar, etc on either sides, with the drummer in the back. It’s diplomatic and self aware, like watching a movie where every character gets equal amounts of screen time, and it matched the harmony that was the hallmark of the show.

—Gab Chabran