Certain members of the indie-rock community smile fondly upon artistic irony. Uncool styles of music and dress are cool to them simply because they are, in fact, not cool, only to sink back to uncool obscurity once the joke catches on and becomes a serious statement.

Confusing? Yes, but sometimes the universe works in mysterious ways.
But then Michael McDonald, of Doobie Brothers/yacht rock fame, appears on a track by Grizzly Bear, and the irony axis tilts, because while McDonald may not be riding his fixed-gear bike all over Williamsburg, he's far from untalented. And on his vocal take of Grizzly Bear’s “While You Wait for the Others,” his husky baritone gives the otherwise shivering track some new, you know, soul.


Read the rest of the article here.