Yellow House is not only my favorite Grizzly Bear album, but it also ranks as one of my all-time favorite albums, and one of the few I can listen to front to back without skipping any tracks. Truth be told, I'm only sort of so-so on the rest of their stuff. But Yellow House is a must-have, in my book. Hits just the right balance between weird and poppy, direct when it needs to be and twisty as often as it can get away with. Feels like it was composed, not just written and recorded, if you know what I mean. There's a slope to the whole album that can only be approached by a full listen, but every song holds its own. The later albums feel more like just a collection of singles. And even if all the singles range from solid to great, they never approach more than the sum of their parts. Check out Yellow House, give it a few listens. It's a bit of a grower, but once you get there, you won't be able to passively listen to it ever.
Thanks fuffle, I just found an old iTunes gift card that was given to me at christmas that I misplaced. I know how I'll use it now.