“Two Weeks” by Grizzly Bear

"Two Weeks" went out in June 2009 as the first single from Veckatimest, Grizzly Bear's third album, though the band had already road-tested it on the Late Show with David Letterman the summer before. It's indie pop with a choirboy's poise: a bright, bobbing piano figure, Ed Droste's lead floating on top, and a wall of stacked harmonies that sound like a church hymn with a crush. Beach House singer Victoria Legrand adds backing vocals, and the whole band, Droste, Daniel Rossen, Christopher Bear and Chris Taylor, shares the writing credit, with Taylor producing and engineering and Gareth Jones lending an extra hand on the mix.

Patrick Daughters directed the video: the band sits on the altar of an empty church, singing along as their heads start to glow, throw sparks and finally burst into flame. Droste has said they never tell directors what to do, and hearing back what someone else picks up on is half the fun.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.