Music is a Cruel Lover II

Iron & Wine - Pagan Angel and a Borrowed Car (Live) [mp3]
As if I wasn’t already excited about the new Iron & Wine album. I’d have trouble falling to sleep at night, thinking of the breathy and gorgeous melodies, the simple but flawless guitar plucking, and the moving lyrical stories. But then—damn you “Live at Pabst Theater” recordings, damn you—everything changed. There was no bathing, no attending classes, no responding to the people around me. There was only Sam Beam’s voice, rich and authoritative. I urge you: don’t listen to this track. It’s too incredible. Your shower will go unused, your bed unslept in, your mind unable to focus on anything than the fact that folk is the only kind of music that matters and that Iron & Wine is the only kind of folk that matters. I'm serious. Consider yourself warned.

Panda Bear - Bros (Terrestrial Tones Remix) [mp3]
The fact that bros are my least favorite type of annoying-jock-asshole only affirms my love for Panda Bear, because I love “Bros” despite its ugly connotations. Right now Panda Bear is fairly uncontested for my Album of the Year (only Feist [marry me!] comes close) and, “Bros” being my favorite song on the album (and thus my current Song of the Year), I thought I’d invest in the 12” single. I normally hate remixes, but this one was a rare success. High five! This track's kind of all over the place, but in the way that air is all over the place—that is, the best way. Sounds like there are some new samples in there, and even more reverb! Just when you thought Noah Lennox couldn’t sound more like he was in a giant, echo-y hall, you were proven wrong. Not that it sounds bad or anything.

Dodo Bird - Men [mp3]
My friend just came in and saw me writing this post and commented (semi-jokingly) that Dodo Bird should open for Panda Bear. To which I replied the environmental implications of that were terrible, and that Dodo Bird playing with someone like T. Rex would be much more appropriate, though obviously not from a business standpoint. We’re gonna save those giant pandas, mark my word. Dodo Bird sounds like Beirut with less Balkan and more DIY. Good, though. I think his whole rhythm section is one drum (plus that clickey thing, but that doesn’t count), which I respect because I always try and record tracks with one drum and usually they end up sounding like shit, mostly because I’m awful at tuning drums and the drum I use hasn’t been tuned since the late seventies. His real name is Meric Long, and he’s someone you should watch out for in coming years. Buy his album—you’ll thank me later. Later being when you’ve finished giving it a full listen. “Horny Hippies” is also a good song, although my reason for thinking so is a bit too personal to write on a blog, y’know? So I picked this one.

- Dominick Duhamel -

Track Review: Panda Bear

“Comfy in Nautica”
from “Person Pitch”
7/10

Side projects often sound like their “father” band. This holds true with Noah Lennox, AKA Panda Bear, whose song “Comfy in Nautica” could be mistaken for a new Animal Collective song. But alas, it’s just one member of the four. And it’s not bad.

“Comfy in Nautica” starts with lo-fi train tracks that get lost in the beat – short harmonized ahhs, steady quarter note handclaps, stomps, and a synthetic noise-roar. Vocals appear from the beat, soaked in church-like reverb, making “Comfy in Nautica” a modern day indie-experimental Brian Wilson take on the centuries-old concept of the church hymn. Lennox’s melodies and powerfully reverberated voice shine above the simple background psychedelia. I can’t understand most of the lyrics – except the wonderfully optimistic “try to remember always / always to have a good time” – but I find myself making up nonsense to the rest as I sing the unforgettable melody unconsciously throughout the day.

Panda Bear’s double role in animal-themed bands is apparent both in name and song. Comfy in Nautica’s steady, repetitive non-drum beat and song structure recalls Animal Collective to a T. It’s just as good. And like Animal Collective, this track by Panda Bear is just weird enough to stay alive and interesting for four minutes. After a mostly static first three minutes, the beat is overcome by quiet samples, which morph into a low drone. The song is finished.

Download:
Panda Bear - Comfy In Nautica

- Austin Bauer -