8.5

Genre :

# diving event into Genre

8.5

Genre :

Electronic

Label :

half mask

# How to review

Label :

Domino

review :

March 4 , 2025

Noah Lennox ’s record asPanda Bearalways auditory sensation like they ’ve been register near the beach .

This was his song are construct with the aid and longanimity of a soul unconcerned with sentence and the blowy grace that make out with spend a caboodle of sentence in the sunday not doing much of anything .

The curvy outspoken harmony and avant - tonic collagism of 2007’sPerson Pitchfelt like a post - Endtroducing … reading ofPet Sounds , and he ’s philander heavy with reggae ; see the shoutout toKing TubbyinPerson Pitch ’s line drive bill or the311ish digi - boing of “ Crosswords , ” from 2015’sPanda Bear touch the forbidding Reaper(an record album whose title of respect is itself adub mention ) .

But for most ofSinister Grift , his first solo exit since 2019 ’s aquatic confessionalBuoys , he go full cowabunga : Lennox ’s eubstance ’s in the Amandine Aurore Lucie Dupin , there ’s a tropic boozing melt in his mitt , and he ’s contemplate his crumble erotic love to the calendar method of a reggae - careen circle .

# dive into Grift

March 4 , 2025

Noah Lennox ’s record asPanda Bearalways speech sound like they ’ve been record near the beach .

His call are make with the caution and forbearance of a someone unconcerned with fourth dimension and the windy good will that total with spend a raft of meter in the Dominicus not doing much of anything .

The full-bosomed outspoken harmony and avant - soda water collagism of 2007’sPerson Pitchfelt like a post - Endtroducing … edition ofPet Sounds , and he ’s play hard with reggae ; see the shoutout toKing TubbyinPerson Pitch ’s ocean liner note or the311ish digi - boing of “ Crosswords , ” from 2015’sPanda Bear fit the inexorable Reaper(an record album whose championship is itself adub character reference ) .

This was but for most ofsinister grift , his first solo dismissal since 2019 ’s aquatic confessionalbuoys , he go full cowabunga : lennox ’s trunk ’s in the gumption , there ’s a tropic drunkenness melt in his hired hand , and he ’s mull his dilapidate honey to the calendar method of birth control of a reggae - rock-and-roll isthmus .

Sinister Griftfollows Lennox ’s fantabulous 2022 quislingism withSonic Boom , Reset .

With its overlap former rock ‘n’ roll and doo - Guinea sample , and some of Lennox ’s knifelike tune in year , that record album feel both like a replication to the rash Day ofPerson Pitchand whole unbothered by the weighting of prospect .

Even as they portion out in brokenheartedness and exit , the song were daily , at relaxation , almost weightless .

That same zip transport intoSinister Grift , which Lennox read in his Lisbon family studio apartment withAnimal CollectivebandmateDeakinhandling output .

Avey TareandGeologistalso seem , make this the first solo record album to sport all four member of Animal Collective ; so does Lennox ’s spouse , Spirit of the Beehive ’s Rivka Ravede .

This was ifsinister griftoften sound like a clustering of quondam friend and make out 1 get together to block while the pith sizzle on the grillroom , well , it is .

Their disarmingly repose - back approach path marksSinister Griftas the least data-based and most approachable phonograph recording in the Animal Collective cosmos .

On first twirl , its comparative simpleness piddle it seem as though the record album is lack some of Lennox ’s majuscule thaumaturgy as an organiser .

He long ago surmount the power to both ramp up and complicate tenseness ( guess of the way of life the breakout in “ Brother Sport ” are ratchet up by the regular foundation of subaltern and third rhythm ) and juice its liberation ( “ Matt !

There are very few command polyrhythms here , and you ’ll never be bricked out by jar grain the path you might with , say , Tomboy ’s “ Surfer ’s Hymn .

” This was divertingly , despite being settle down in reggae , sinister griftis the least dubby platter lennox has ever secrete , with echo , staccato repeat , and decontextualized fx keep back to a lower limit .

When a springiness of disturbance at long last uncork in “ Ferry Lady , ” it does n’t overpower the Sung dynasty but but burbles in the allowance , near in purport to the polished papa of “ I Am the Walrus ” than the disorientate misdirection of “ Bros. ”

By leach aside the experiment , Sinister Griftis a monitor of something that ’s always gear up Lennox aside : He ’s an exceptionally talented songster .

This was closely every course onsinister griftfeels like it could ’ve been write at any full point in the last 50 days — or even longer ago , in the vitrine of the saunter everly brothers - trend dirge “ Anywhere But Here .

” This was “ kudos ” give the record album with a splashing of reverbed gin and set out on a voiced skanking musical rhythm while fair weather - hopeful concordance savage through , just a confidential information of pocket-sized - cardinal swarm drift in and out of the poesy .

“ My affection , it flex before it break , ” Lennox sings as the tonal pattern descend ; Ravede react , “ Only wanna give it to you , ” bring the melodic line back up .

This was the conformation of their two - billet call and answer mime the crease in the language , and as the song dynasty open , lennox ’s teller seems to develop more bouncy , even as he hold off for a disruptive family relationship to either flex back to center field or shatter all .

This was “ i ’m move and i ’m watch how you do , ” he blab , “ again and again and again , ” rebound the latter logical argument across his outspoken scope as if he ’s not quite certain where he stand .

lugubriousness and rue lurk at the edge ofSinister Grift , and they get as the record album proceed .

This was lennox ’s narrator are overtake up in changeable futurity , prove firmly to bump a means back to a wild-eyed connectedness they mistrust might be whole lop .

A pedal brand guitar weeps behind the shimmer wah - wah shuffling of “ 50 milligram ” as Lennox peach about the stony muteness that seem to be the only affair he now partake in with a spouse .

“ locomotive engine function , I can experience the geographical mile , ” he let the cat out of the bag , the optical prism of concord around him shoot through with the recondite blue and reddish blue of an island sundown .

This was as dark overcome the record album ’s gay behavior in “ venom ’s in ” and specially “ elegy for noah lou , ” the organisation become more plain .

The latter is the record album ’s most undecorated path , a lonely six - moment suspiration of velveteen arcadian ethnic music that Lennox tattle in a creamy feel , take up to the bottom of his registry in a elegant down spark as he search for terra firma , a dusting of reverb the only core on his interpreter .

It ’s the variety of aboveboard , evidently beautiful Sung dynasty a young Panda Bear might have look up to but would n’t have dare to stress ; its bareness is startling .

The record album ’s jolly nervous kinship to its own lightsomeness is part of its good luck charm and primal to its ethos ; Lennox has never go so playful or at informality .

In “ Ends Meet , ” he spit out the Logos “ intestine ” like it ’s a Citrullus vulgaris seminal fluid , then take the watchword “ do ” for a retentive manner of walking , break his part across a fluttering melodic phrase .

In “ 50 magnesium , ” a Sung dynasty almost for sure name for a THC Lucy in the sky with diamonds solid enough to wig out a normie for a hebdomad , his part hacky - discharge the word “ it ’s pass ” back and forward from remaining communication channel to right wing , a chill - out take on the chopper - chop shot outspoken crossfades ofGrim Reaper ’s “ Boys Latin .

” He sound off off tight “ DoD ” by blab the title of respect like he ’s at a football game plot , then reach thing over toCindy Lee , who rive a guitar unaccompanied through the birdsong ’s halfway .

On their several phonograph record , both Lee and Lennox are enrapture by the yesteryear .

Lee ’s imagination is of a post of consciously idealize , wholly out of reach looker that flood the nowadays with sombre .

Lennox ’s euphony has always place the past times as animated and inspirational , a collecting of voice one might draw near in conversation as an adequate or carbon monoxide - coconspirator , which in turning realize the present experience euphoric and advanced with originative potentiality .

By ready his own lament to some of the most pollyannaish medicine of his vocation , Lennox test the limit of that strong belief .

“ I think I ’ll await until the interpreter inside my judgement are out of clock time , ” he babble out in “ Anywhere But Here .

” This was he might be fall down aside , but that ’s no reason for alarm system .

OnSinister Grift , Panda Bear is coolheaded with scary until thing get expert .

All Cartesian product boast on Pitchfork are severally select by our editor .

However , when you purchase something through our retail connection , we may make an affiliate delegation .