Grizzly Bear might’ve started off as an Ed Droste solo project in its earliest days, but drummer and multi-instrumentalist Christopher Bear joined up shortly thereafter, becoming the first full non-Droste member of the band. Bear has been in Grizzly Bear for about 16 years now, and he’s also done work outside the band, doing the score for the great HBO series High Maintenance. Today, Chris Bear releases his first-ever solo album.
Bear is now releasing solo music under the name Fools — maybe “Chris Bear” looked too awesome on an album cover — and he’s released the hazy instrumental LP Fools’ Harp Vol. 1. Bear plays every instrument on the album himself, and it’s nowhere near as heavy on drums as you might expect from someone who is best known for drumming. Instead, the record full of tingly vibraphones and warm synth-tones and welcoming, relaxing ambiance.
Bear recorded Fools’ Harp Vol. 1 over six weeks last summer, doing his own improvised parts and then figuring out how to fit them together. Talking to Brooklyn Vegan last month, Bear said that he set out “to make a bunch of instrumental explorations, follow intuitions, and see what might take shape.” Stream the album below.
Fools’ Harp Vol. 1 is out now on Music From Memory, and you can get it at Bandcamp.
