Last month, Grizzly Bear and Chanel Beads hosted a concert at Brooklyn Steel. Ed Droste’s band played all the big tracks, including “Southern Point,” “While You Wait For the Others,” and “Sun In Your Eyes,” and they welcomed Beach House vocalist Victoria Legrand to the stage for four songs, including their duet from New Moon, “Slow Life.” Our own associate music editor Tatiana Tenreyro even wrote in her recent tribute to the New Moon soundtrack:
“Five months before New Moon hit theaters, Grizzly Bear released Veckatimest, which became one of the biggest indie albums of the 2000s, with Jay-Z among their new fans. When the band received the invitation to be part of the soundtrack, they were baffled but figured if New Moon was good enough for Thom Yorke, the frontman of one of the most respected rock bands of all time, then why not? The band wrote the song in just a couple of days and invited Legrand to sing on ‘Slow Life.’ It’s one of the most viscerally emotional songs in the movie, used during a pivotal scene in which Bella risks her life in a desperate attempt to bring Edward back. Legrand’s voice sinks deeper in the mix alongside Bella, while Ed Droste’s vocals come in just as Jacob pulls Bella out of the ocean, saving her life.
Surprisingly, despite being a big Grizzly Bear and Beach House fan during my teen years, I didn’t latch onto ‘Slow Life,’ instead favoring tracks like ‘Possibility’ and Sea Wolf’s jaunty ‘The Violet Hour.’ I only came to love it after revisiting New Moon, and it’s since become one of my favorites. When I found out that Grizzly Bear had invited Victoria Legrand to join them on a couple of dates for their New York City shows, I jumped on the chance to catch them play ‘Slow Life.’ Clearly, I wasn’t the only one excited, as the crowd went wild when Ed Droste announced they were about to perform the track for the first time in over a decade. I found myself getting teary-eyed, taking in ‘Slow Life’ as it was meant to be heard, absorbing the austere beauty of Droste and Legrand’s duet.”
