Review: Panda Bear Meets The Grim Reaper

Photo: Panda Bear Meets The Grim Reaper

Noah Lennox, AKA Panda Bear has never been one to underwhelm. Having spent over a decade as a pivotal member of Baltimore's Animal Collective, Lennox has helped pen some of the most abstract and engaging music in recent history, with his solo work ranging from the intimate acoustic guitar of Young Prayer to the psychedelic loop oriented madness of Person Pitch and 2011's dreamlike Tomboy.

As the driving force behind Animal Collective's definitive 2009 LP Merriweather Post Pavilion, Panda Bear has shown he has a formidable sense of melody and avant garde sound design, creating a real assault on the senses that grows heavily on the listener with each sitting.

It's understandable then that we've been desperate to get our ears around his brand new record Panda Bear Meets The Grim Reaper, which finally saw a release today on Domino records. Stream it below.

From the get-go, Panda Bear's sonic trademark is there for all to witness. His obsession with running water, bubbling organ swirls and chattering, indescribable audio fragments fade in almost immediately, drawing you kicking and screaming into the parallel dimension that is Noah Lennox's singular dream world. 

Anyone that saw the Gaspar Noe meets Michel Gondry music video for 'Mr Noah' (below) will be well acquainted with the second track in. 

Where the chorus almost borders on the irritating, Noah does just enough to drag it back from grating territory and bury itself deep in your psyche. Its garbled guitar line and hefty beat are dizzyingly confusing, but as ever Panda Bear can successfully marry the most obscure sounds with his Beach Boys indebted vocal presence to turn the most murky, grubby sounds into something transcendental.

'Davy Jones' Locker' mixes scif fi with the sea as it segues into 'Crosswords', a jolly, rousing peace where Noah's voice really lets rip. In fact, most of the album maintains this positive outlook, something you'd be forgiven for not expecting with a title involving the lord of death. 

More woozy, mescaline inspired vibes come from 'Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker', featuring a gorgeous synth section akin to Future Sound Of London's early nineties output that sits low enough in the mix to be aware of without consciously registering it. 

'Boys Latin's (above) layered vocal stabs and etched beats result in another golden moment, followed by Noah's call to arms 'Come To Your Senses' - a squelchy, sensory delight that meanders its way through unpredictable chord changes and surprise choruses.

The lilting harp and intimate singing on 'Tropic Of Cancer' yields a refreshing break from the stomping hip hop percussion that permeates the majority of the album, followed by alluring beauty of 'Lonely Wanderer'.

It's central piano riff really is something else, sitting in the middle of a fairy tale like landscape that could be located in a meadow somewhere in the distant future. Sporadic, uneasy sound effects momentarily hint that the trip may be taking a dark turn before the piano rolls in again and paradise is restored.

'Principle Real' sees Noah throw a slew of staccatoed shimmering synths held together by a steady four four kick drum, with pop-tastic hooks muddied by oddball production that makes even the most immediate of melodies a challenge, a theme that is prevalent through to the album's conclusion. 

Nobody creates music as engulfing and unashamedly psychedelic as the Animal Collective mainstay. His resolutely fresh and original approach to composition pushes the listener almost to the point of overload, but does just enough to keep it this side of out-and-out chaos.

Those willing to work at a record and spend time digesting its hidden depths rather than be presented with all its nuances immediately need to give Panda Bear's meeting with the Grim Reaper a visit. Excellent, heady work once more from Noah Lennox. 

Head here for more on Panda Bear.