The Top 10 Albums of 2007: #4
4) “Person Pitch”, by Panda Bear
It’s really hard to tell who’s in charge of Animal Collective these days. It used to be that lead singer/lead guitarist Avey Tare had a vice-like grip on the band’s music direction, as was seen in their album “Here Comes the Indian”, but more recently; there has been a shift in power. The power is now slowly gathering in the hands of Noah Lennox, AKA Panda Bear. Panda Bear, a master of eclectic, seizure-inducing percussion, has also recently started his solo career, which is a great thing, because the guy can mix just as well as he drums. Person Pitch, his newest album, is a conglomerate of strange percussion, repeated guitar riffs, and disembodied vocals that make you feel as if you are floating off the coast of his Portugal home. And this was his intention; when creating the album, Panda Bear said that it was meant to convey the sounds of his homeland. This loose concept comes through strongly, and when listening to it, it is easy to feel as if you are caught up in the Lisbon sunshine, adrift amongst some waves. The album has a strong nautical theme (as the opening number “Comfy in Nautica” suggests), but also a sunshine-y and summer feel to it. When it was released in March, I couldn’t wait for it to be summer, because this album reminds me of driving down a deserted highway in a convertible. It has an excellent flow, and although it seems to draw influences from a variety of jam bands, you never feel like you are listening to a 10-minute song. Whether the tracks are three minutes or thirteen, Panda Bear keeps it interesting to listen to, which combined with the cohesiveness of the album, is astonishing.
The albums weaknesses are very few and scattered. First off, minus the two singles released from the album (“Comfy in Nautica” and “I’m Not”), the rest of the tracks are really hard to listen to in a standalone fashion. When I listen to “Person Pitch”, it’s generally all the way through, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The bad thing comes from the fact that it’s often hard to distinguish one song from another, as they all have a similar flow and blend into each other seamlessly. This makes it hard to shuffle onto the album or to recommend only one track (and it’s made even more difficult since the album is 45 minutes, but only has 7 tracks). Secondly, Lennox’s lyrics come through very strangely at times. They’re not convoluted or cryptic as in Animal Collective, but they’re not entirely straightforward either. This is made harder by the tendency for the drums and guitar to take precedence over lyrics. If the lyrics are hard to distinguish because they’re in the background of the music, why are they in there in the first place? Nevertheless, Lennox’s wailing does help to accent the feel of certain songs and none of these problems really detract from the album. It flows with itself (not as much in other albums), the concept gives a smooth feel when listening, and no matter how long the tracks are, it never drags.
Recommended Listening: (Due to a small number of tracks, the RL for “Person Pitch” is done in proportion, not in quantity.) “Comfy in Nautica”, “Good Girl/Carrots”.
-blake
