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A Special Snowflake
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1.8.15
Panda Bear - Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper
Noah Lennox is a good foil for bandmate Avey Tare. Instead of manic screams, he sings with steady longing. Instead of violent, acid fried head jangles, he prefers to dabble in the sunbaked domain of west coast radio harmonies and beachscapes. These are often wistful, utilizing found sounds faded by time. Noah Lennox is a nostalgic Panda Bear, soft and gentle. He's a perfect aural accompaniment for that indica sensation of being couch locked. Yet despite these difference, both artists have used their music as a means of confronting loss.
PBvsGR is the glitchiest and most synthetic sounding of all the Panda Bear releases thus far. In that way at least its dub inspired name rings true. On the other hand, the production here sounds less washed out and more bold than ever, with Panda Bear's much loved vocals coalescing---if just a bit---from their usual ethereal fog state. There's a clarity of vision to these tracks. More than any of its predecessors, this album knows where it's coming from and where it's going. It's even less of a meandering found sound odyssey, offering a number of well formed tracks---many with strong single power---that connect with just enough ligaments in between.
The album begins with mesmerizing "Sequential Circuits," the pulsing drones of which evoke dawn light rising over beautiful alien vistas. Noah Lennox's voice proceeds to weaves a spell, and even though his lyrics aren't always completely intelligible, they seldom fail to ensnare the listener. After stammering to an end, the track gives way to first single "Mr. Noah." It's a bloopy sounding track with vocals that are clearer yet no less enigmatic: a dog is bit on the leg. The wounded animal motif is interesting given the song title. Still, Mr. Noah never comes down from his lysergic bliss for even a moment, and it gives the track a floaty and detached quality as though endorphins had already kicked in long ago.
One of my favorite tracks is "Crosswords" with its pointillist rainforest club stylings. Unfortunately the cut here begins much more abruptly compared to the live version which builds up to the vocals. I also feel like this track's nice beat got buried in the final mix somewhat. Still, it's one of the catchiest moments on the album for me. "Butcher Baker Candlestick Maker" in turn reminds me the most of Person Pitch era Panda Bear for some reason; perhaps it's the found sound quality of its main sample. Next up is "Boys Latin" which plays a game of vocal ping-pong. As the second big single, this track seems simplistic yet hypnotic and therefore effective to my mind. Really though it's the music video that elevates it to new heights (unlike the Gaspar Noe esque series of loops for "Mr. Noah" which I could take or leave).
Speaking of visuals, the trippy vignettes shot by Danny Perez are truly stunning. Seeing them projected large in a live setting to compliment this music was a truly memorable experience. Thankfully the PBvsGR interactive website has most of these visuals, and you can sync them up on your own if you so desire (and you should). It makes tracks like "Tropic of Cancer" all the more strange and wonderful. Said track is another highlight of this album for me with its delicate yet majestic string arrangements and sweeping pace. Noah croons about illness, presumably the illness that took his father's life; it's an event that fueled his early Lone Prayer album. Hearing him sing about it now, it seems time has healed that wound somewhat. While he speaks of denial in his lyrics, the overall impression is that he's reaching an acceptance.
After more strings in the next track, the tail end of PBvsGR kicks in and the synths make a return, redoubling their efforts. "Principe Real" has a distinctly 80s quality with its slapping beat and future tones. "Selfish Gene" does sedentary chopsticks on keys, creating a strobe like sound to backup some really catchy vocals. Closer "Acid Wash" is a return to form, sounding like the Panda Bear fans know and love. The loops here sounds decidedly wet, like it was put in a washing machine and left on the spin cycle. After it sloshes around for a while, it dissipates and gives way to hundreds of sparkling stars all twinkling and collapsing. The album closes on a lone synth humming like a robot.
All in all PBvsGR is an album both personal and cosmic. Put another way: it's an album that recognizes the cosmic within our small selves. It dwells on past experiences in Noah Lennox's life and looks toward the future at the same time, yet in doing so it touches on the universal. The passion and sincerity that lurks within his singing ultimately gives way to a transcendent stoicism of sorts. This is how Panda Bear confronts the Grim Reaper, and it stands in direct contrast to Flying Lotus who turns the universal into a seething multiplicity of different, irreducible outlooks and experiences. The end result of Panda Bear's run in with the Grim Reaper? An incredibly catchy and well written album.
Panda Bear - Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper
Noah Lennox is a good foil for bandmate Avey Tare. Instead of manic screams, he sings with steady longing. Instead of violent, acid fried head jangles, he prefers to dabble in the sunbaked domain of west coast radio harmonies and beachscapes. These are often wistful, utilizing found sounds faded by time. Noah Lennox is a nostalgic Panda Bear, soft and gentle. He's a perfect aural accompaniment for that indica sensation of being couch locked. Yet despite these difference, both artists have used their music as a means of confronting loss.
PBvsGR is the glitchiest and most synthetic sounding of all the Panda Bear releases thus far. In that way at least its dub inspired name rings true. On the other hand, the production here sounds less washed out and more bold than ever, with Panda Bear's much loved vocals coalescing---if just a bit---from their usual ethereal fog state. There's a clarity of vision to these tracks. More than any of its predecessors, this album knows where it's coming from and where it's going. It's even less of a meandering found sound odyssey, offering a number of well formed tracks---many with strong single power---that connect with just enough ligaments in between.
The album begins with mesmerizing "Sequential Circuits," the pulsing drones of which evoke dawn light rising over beautiful alien vistas. Noah Lennox's voice proceeds to weaves a spell, and even though his lyrics aren't always completely intelligible, they seldom fail to ensnare the listener. After stammering to an end, the track gives way to first single "Mr. Noah." It's a bloopy sounding track with vocals that are clearer yet no less enigmatic: a dog is bit on the leg. The wounded animal motif is interesting given the song title. Still, Mr. Noah never comes down from his lysergic bliss for even a moment, and it gives the track a floaty and detached quality as though endorphins had already kicked in long ago.
One of my favorite tracks is "Crosswords" with its pointillist rainforest club stylings. Unfortunately the cut here begins much more abruptly compared to the live version which builds up to the vocals. I also feel like this track's nice beat got buried in the final mix somewhat. Still, it's one of the catchiest moments on the album for me. "Butcher Baker Candlestick Maker" in turn reminds me the most of Person Pitch era Panda Bear for some reason; perhaps it's the found sound quality of its main sample. Next up is "Boys Latin" which plays a game of vocal ping-pong. As the second big single, this track seems simplistic yet hypnotic and therefore effective to my mind. Really though it's the music video that elevates it to new heights (unlike the Gaspar Noe esque series of loops for "Mr. Noah" which I could take or leave).
Speaking of visuals, the trippy vignettes shot by Danny Perez are truly stunning. Seeing them projected large in a live setting to compliment this music was a truly memorable experience. Thankfully the PBvsGR interactive website has most of these visuals, and you can sync them up on your own if you so desire (and you should). It makes tracks like "Tropic of Cancer" all the more strange and wonderful. Said track is another highlight of this album for me with its delicate yet majestic string arrangements and sweeping pace. Noah croons about illness, presumably the illness that took his father's life; it's an event that fueled his early Lone Prayer album. Hearing him sing about it now, it seems time has healed that wound somewhat. While he speaks of denial in his lyrics, the overall impression is that he's reaching an acceptance.
After more strings in the next track, the tail end of PBvsGR kicks in and the synths make a return, redoubling their efforts. "Principe Real" has a distinctly 80s quality with its slapping beat and future tones. "Selfish Gene" does sedentary chopsticks on keys, creating a strobe like sound to backup some really catchy vocals. Closer "Acid Wash" is a return to form, sounding like the Panda Bear fans know and love. The loops here sounds decidedly wet, like it was put in a washing machine and left on the spin cycle. After it sloshes around for a while, it dissipates and gives way to hundreds of sparkling stars all twinkling and collapsing. The album closes on a lone synth humming like a robot.
All in all PBvsGR is an album both personal and cosmic. Put another way: it's an album that recognizes the cosmic within our small selves. It dwells on past experiences in Noah Lennox's life and looks toward the future at the same time, yet in doing so it touches on the universal. The passion and sincerity that lurks within his singing ultimately gives way to a transcendent stoicism of sorts. This is how Panda Bear confronts the Grim Reaper, and it stands in direct contrast to Flying Lotus who turns the universal into a seething multiplicity of different, irreducible outlooks and experiences. The end result of Panda Bear's run in with the Grim Reaper? An incredibly catchy and well written album.