So how exactly do you follow up a record that should go down in history as one of the greatest of all time? If you’re Grizzly Bear, you double down. Shields digs deeper into the elements that made Veckatimest great, with stellar results.

The anthems are bigger and brassier, the ballads are softer and more tender, the compositions are more sophisticated. The first three songs/four tracks (Adelma is a wordless transition) are only a few levels beneath The Joshua Tree’s timeless opening trio. Although unlike The Joshua Tree, the rest of the album doesn’t fail to deliver on the promise of the first act. While there’s nothing quite as immediate as Sleeping Ute or Yet Again, every track is fulfilling in its own right.

Touring with Radiohead (wherein Johnny Greenwood claimed they were his favorite band) has a notable effect on their composition as well. Instruments are used more intentionally, sometimes even minimistically, such as the sparse opening moments of Speak In Rounds, or the instrumental closing coda of What’s Wrong. Which is not to be said this isn’t Grizzly Bear–they are just as themselves as ever, even if they are slightly less pastoral here than on Veckatimest. But in the end, whether Shields is as good as its predecessor is a moot point–at times it’s even better. But after it’s had some time to gestate, we’ll see where it stands among the greatest ever. It certainly has the potential to hold its own.