Panda Bear Releases Solemn Psychedelic Pop On ‘Tomboy’

Panda Bear has delivered his new material in a number of different ways: as a series of 7″ singles; during a mini-tour; and at listening parties. Finally, the fourth LP and first in so many years, Tomboy hits stores in entirety. The beauty of its predecessor, the widely heralded Person Pitch, arose from the marriage of samples and sunny, Beach Boys-esque harmonies, both awash in warm reverb. Tomboy eschews this formula for its opposite: original instrumentation (composed entirely by guitar, drums, and the occasional synth) underscoring dark, solemn melodies. The reverb is still present, but, barring a few exceptions, the sunshine has disappeared…for better and for worse.

Stream the entire record at NPR

The use of samples on Person Pitch provided a variation that was unified by Panda Bear‘s vocals, and the vocals provide the same role on Tomboy. However, the decision to focus on guitar and rhythm this go around turns the instrumentation into a similarly unifying force, which works less in the record’s favor. Too many songs sound too similar to each other, giving Tomboy the flow of a well-crafted mixtape, which, though usually a signifier of the best albums, borders on repetitive in this case. Melodies often appear recycled throughout the record, and over-simplistic guitar arrangements blend together with echo and reverb, causing a constant check to see whether or not the next song has begun.

That said, the best songs on the record not only grab your attention, they enthrall. ‘Scheherazade’ is a harrowing re-appropriation of dub music that single-handedly justifies the stark aesthetic adopted throughout Tomboy. ‘Friendship Bracelet’ submerges pop melodies into a pool of psychadelica that will surprise you with catchy howls by the song’s end. ‘Slow Motion’ and ‘Surfer’s Hymn’ lift the spirits of Tomboy‘s first half with the beautiful vocals that first made so many fall in love with Panda Bear. ‘Alsatian Darn’ is his “guitar” song fully realized as an interesting chord progression chugs along a steady rhythm and produces – shockingly – straightforward pop song! Well, as straightforward as anything you’d expect from Animal Collective (not counting this curveball from MPP, of course).

Ultimately, whether you love or hate Panda Bear‘s new direction on Tomboy, you can’t help but appreciate his artistic integrity. Too many artists would re-hash Person Pitch, but Noah Lennox has never been one to try the same sound again from album to album: his debut LP was minimalist electro-pop, and 2004′s Young Prayer one engrossing exercise on baroque vocal arrangements. And to his credit, these new songs are nowhere near perfect, but they are distinctly Tomboy, and yet distinctly Panda Bear. Kudos.