Toro y Moi - What For?

Toro y Moi
What For?
2015

Toro Y Moi is more grounded in the past than anything I have heard throughout this project. He blends a mix of the psychedelic rock of the 60s with the smooth tones of 70s funk and R&B and somehow it works and does not feel dated at all. The total vibe of What For? is laid back and flowing, it is easy to just get lost in what you are hearing and get swept away. The music sounds and feels so organic which placed against the speeding cars and traffic noises on the first tracks makes it all the more approachable. The Lo-Fi quality of the tracks work for me on every level except the vocals, unfortunately this mix just makes them sound a bit garbled when they could be quite clean and pleasing. However the complete abandon of anything inorganic for this record is pretty damn cool.

If What For? is great at one thing it is creating a vibe. This playing in the background of any type of hip scene is really what it seems made for. It really does leave you with a lasting thought or something to hold on to, but while its there you are more happy for it. What For? has made me want to get into Toro y Moi more so I will be checking out their back catalog and doing some exploring. All in all a pretty solid album and one worth a couple of spins.

7.3 out of 10