Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 03/20/2007
Starting an album with a clattering of
industrial rhythms sliding into a huge clap-and-stompalong with angelic vocals and what sounds like the
Brotherhood of Man on a vocal loop tip not far removed from
Suicide or
Laurie Anderson is one way to make a mark. The fact that
Panda Bear, aka
Noah Lennox himself, sings like
Brian Wilson and produces his voice to sound like it is another, though it has to be said that it just makes his
Animal Collective membership all the more clear at this point.
Person Pitch is very much an end product of a variety of musical trends in whatever can be called
indie rock in the early 21st century -- big-sounding, absolutely dedicated to texture and sonic playfulness, and somehow aiming to make a lot of interesting ideas seem kinda flat. There's no question there's both an audience for
Panda Bear's work and the sounds he's playing around with, and to his considerable credit he creates a series of moody and memorable loops throughout. Songs like
"Take Pills" and
"Good Girl" are miles away from the rhythm-by-numbers of many of
Panda Bear's contemporaries; importantly, after so many bands that just want to sound like late-'60s
Beach Boys lock, stock, and barrel, the fact that there's a recognition that production and beat technology didn't stay frozen in time stands out. At its best, with the song
"Bros," there's a beautiful transcendence that lives up to all the promise that has surrounded
Panda Bear's work, the song slowly but surely evolving into a fantastic epic that could easily stand on its own as an EP. Still, the sweetness is almost too gooey, and what should be providing a healthy contrast ends up dragging the best instrumental moments down more than once, almost literally getting in the way of the striking sonic collages. It may be heresy to some, but conceivably
Person Pitch would be at its best if it were strictly instrumental.
~Ned Raggett, All Music Guide
;)
Listen
