Veckatimest is definitely not a record that should be squeezed into those spare minutes of the day when you’re busy doing other things. There are plenty of albums that will accompany you on the daily bus trip to work. Albums that won’t mind if you’re distracted by the person next you (the one with the runny nose and pallor complexion who probably just has a cold but who just might have taken the last flight out of Mexico City) but Grizzly Bear’s third studio release isn’t one of them.

It’s not that Veckatimest is particularly insistent on the fact you give it your undivided attention. It won’t interrupt dinner with petulant bouts of obtrusive noise, but if you do opt to make the album aural wallpaper for your next study session, don’t be surprised if you hear only a fraction of Grizzly Bear’s remarkable recording.

Much like its predecessor Yellow House, it’s the band’s deft handling of detail and texture that ensures close attention will be rewarded. Southern Point may start with thick, quivering bass notes and retro keys, but listen carefully and you’ll detect the barely discernable arrival of an acoustic guitar that quells the heavy mood.

Cymbals wash in unannounced and prise open the floodgates to reveal a joyful, chaotic chorus of sorts, chock-full of tambourines, horns and drums, all rounded off with a generous string section and sound effects that bounce from ear to ear. Likewise, Cheerleader is all about simple staccato refrains, embellished with the loveliest of detail that will slip through your fingers if you’re not concentrating.

Yes, there’s an awful lot going on here, but by no means is it messy, disorganised or over-indulgent. Whether it’s the warm tones of a lone flute or the ever so slight echo added to Ed Droste’s overlapping vocals, the band has worked tirelessly to ensure every aspect is warranted, in context and beautifully executed.

Indeed, the production is so breathtaking that if you found yourself unable to resist the urge to download the leaked version of Veckatimest, it’s a guarantee that investment in the final version won’t be a waste of hard earned dollars. Chris Taylor has made fine use of the tools a clearly increased budget has afforded, etching every chord, key or vocal part with crystallised precision whilst still managing to retain a deliciously warm sound.

Despite Grizzly Bear’s predilection for unconventional song structure, there are one or two attempts at the kind of pop that takes residence in your brain and refuses to budge. It would be a stretch to say that Lady BlahBlah is likely to be troubled at the single digit end of the charts, but that’s because neither Two Weeks nor While You Wait For The Others are tin-pot disposable songs. The former is a gorgeous evocation of the golden era of – œ60s crooning, while the latter has an irresistible chorus made from fat, metallic guitars and majestic oohs and aahs.

Dabbling in more accessible waters isn’t the only progression the band has made. Where vocals were kept on an equal footing with instrumentation on Yellow House, Veckatimest loses the reverb that camouflaged the beguiling quality of Ed Droste’s voice. There’s something wonderfully decadent about the way he adorns Dory’s dreamy baroque with Noel Coward’s refined enunciation, or wraps himself around his backing singer’s baritone for All We Ask’s vintage ballad.

Veckatimest feels like a long time in gestation, but the subtle transformations the band has undertaken since the 2006 release of Yellow House totally justify the wait. Grizzly Bear have stayed true to the sonic experimentation of previous releases, but have somehow managed to render their output even more seductive, touching, delicate and enduring.

Fleet Foxes’ Robin Pecknold has proclaimed Veckatimest as “the best record of the 00s.” It’s not hard to see why.

Veckatimest is out Saturday 23 May on Warp through Inertia. Speaking to FL last week, Grizzly Bear’s Daniel Rossen revealed the band will be here in January 2010 – possibly for the Big Day Out tour!