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Not only all in 2012, but all within the span of three months, three of indie rock's heaviest hitters have released new albums. The first two, Dirty Projectors' Swing Lo Magellan and Animal Collective's Centipede Hz have in most quarters been slightly less well received than their predecessors, Bitte Orca and Merriweather Post Pavilion, both of which proved to be the "breakthrough" releases for their respective bands. So what of the third? 

Grizzly Bear once called one of their early albums Sorry For the Delay, and frankly they could have brought that title back this time around. Three years and nearly four months was the gap between the glorious Veckatimest and this week's Shields but hey, if Messrs. Bear, Droste, Rossen and Taylor can afford the break--and clearly they can--then why not? And there's something to be said for battery-recharging. 

Listening to Shields, it seems as though that time off gave rise to new musical paths as well. While there are familiar Grizzly Bear sounds here--the acoustic guitar of "Speak in Rounds", the florid, dreamy "The Hunt" and the shimmering "Half Gate"--the thrills come in the surprises. There's the rockers, "Yet Again", easy and rambling, "A Simple Answer", piano-driven; the quiet and pulsating ambience of "Adelma"; and particularly delightful is the bubbly pop of "gun-shy" (no caps please) which is even surprisingly reminiscent of an erstwhile Chris Taylor collaborator, the morning benders (again, no caps please). 

In any case, it's another winner, with plenty of new pleasures. And from the looks of things, the critics agree. As of this writing the album's Metacritic score is 85, and here's a sampling of the reviews: 

Pitchfork: "This collection of unvarnished shipwreck-spirituals is after something more challenging than a feel-good ending. With Shields, Grizzly Bear make certain demands--hold still, listen closely-- that seem downright radical in a busy and impatient world."

Rolling Stone: With Shields, they still sound like Radiohead at a Buddhist retreat, but the songs are more muscular, increasingly driven by drummer Christopher Bear's innate swing. 

The Guardian: It's not clear if huge crowds punching the air is what Grizzly Bear want: they trailed the album with Sleeping Ute, not the actions of a band desperate to lure in the floating voter. Whatever happens, they're certainly not having to struggle to appear as interesting as they did on arrival. If anything, they're getting more intriguing as they go on: an object lesson in the value of allowing things to progress at their own pace.

And that's just three of the biggest. Welcome back, fellas. Clearly folks are glad you're back. Discover why: Shields from Grizzly Bear.