Sun gazing with Panda Bear

Attempting to compare or compartmentalize Panda Bear’s 2007 solo effort, “Person Pitch,” is misdirected energy.

Sure, you immediately can see vocal cues taken from
The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson, and the production
technique is similar to Radiohead’s “OK Computer.”
At times, the percussive elements are comparable
to the more opiate-induced tracks of The Velvet
Underground.

This album does fit under the labels of surf music,
electronica, bubble-gum pop and noise music, but
there consistently is a portion of this music that
glaringly transcends the labels.

This portion demands to be different.

The textures within Panda Bear’s “Person Pitch”
exist as one man’s glance into the solo project and
its landscape of possibilities.

Much of the album sounds like it was recorded
in a cathedral or catacomb, with heavy reverb creating
an otherworldly effect. There is the undeniable
stamp of electronic music within Panda Bear’s
efforts, recombining environmental sounds, looped
guitar strums, boundless electronic sound blankets,
tambourine claps, understated bass lines and airy,
almost-transparent synth elements – collecting into
moments that feel both like sun-gazing and like
watching two TV’s at once. This music is certainly
something pleasing to get lost in.

Five out of Five on
The Burn-O-Meter