When it comes to being consistently brilliant, few artists can match Daniel Rossen’s output from the last few years. Over a handful of albums with his bands Grizzly Bear and Department of Eagles, Rossen has never really failed to deliver with his particular brand of sumptuous chamber pop, and things don’t change at all with Silent Hour/Golden Mile. While we wait on a new Grizzly Bear album dropping later this year, this is a more than acceptable snack to keep us going before the main course.

The thing with Rossen’s solo work – and this is not a criticism by any means – is that you know what you’re going to get from him. Compared to the unexpected R’n’B from bandmate Chris Taylor in his CANT guise, Rossen sticks to the familiar. The one difference is that the songs on this EP are probably a little more direct than GB’s work as the orchestration and production is toned down; yet there are still the layered harmonies and that incredible tone that Rossen wrestles from his guitar – you know the one, it sounds like guitar and bass together, a low rumble then a burst of bright energy. And, of course his rich voice, always an utter pleasure to listen to, still commands attention.

The songs on the EP were initially intended to be demos for the next Grizzly Bear record, but ended up acting as a means for Rossen to escape a songwriting rut. When they emerged, they also appeared more personal than much of his material, so he decided to release them under his own name. There is certainly a singer-songwriter air to tracks such as ‘Up On High’, calling to mind the best moments of Elliott Smith’s canon, as well as lyrical directness compared to the sometimes cryptic and opaque approach found in GB songs, and as a result there’s an openness that matches the breeziness and immediacy of the music on the EP.

The aforementioned ‘Up On High’ sees us in familiar territory: sharp chords meeting Beach Boys bass and orchestration, Rossen crooning about someone having a “head full of stars” and imploring them to “sing for me”. ‘Silent Song’ is a freewheeling joy, mixing electric and acoustic, and has a chorus to die for. ‘Return to Form’ is where things really depart from Grizzly Bear’s work. It begins with some extraordinary acoustic finger-picking before expanding out into crunchy riffing, and fading on strings and subdued brass. The finest moment, though, might be the plaintive and gorgeous piano/brass duet of ‘Saint Nothing’, a gentle breath of a song that benefits from being completely stripped-back. Final track ‘Golden Mile’ returns to propulsive rhythms and barrels along to the end with Rossen singing “There’s bliss in this mess/There’s madness all around”, reflecting on his previous unease before finding solace in song.

The impact of Silent Hour/Golden Mile makes me wonder just how fantastic a full length Daniel Rossen record would be. Five songs just isn’t enough when you’re in the company of such a talented song writer, and the 20-odd minutes of this brilliant EP might be better than the majority of albums you’ll listen to in 2012.