Panda Bear - Buoys

Panda Bear
Buoys
2019
Spotify

Panda Bear has always made his music into something that is off the wall. The expected is not something He often plays around with, so it's no surprise that this album is taking a different approach than His previous releases. As a member of Animal Collective their music has turned away from the avante garde flowing minimalism and into more organic sounds as well as soundtracks. It's lead to some boring outings, and some songs that sound too much like an Animal Collective parody act rather than music from the source. This however is Panda Bear's first LP since 2015's Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper. On Buoys Panda ditches most of the reverb and instead of samples allows his vocal paired often with only a guitar to shine. It feels oddly not like recent Animal Collective, and more like their early work which was decidedly more folk rock-esque. There are these big room filling sounds that swell with electronic bass, but then Panda pierces through with his signature high pitched vocals. The music is somehow interesting at times while being completely disposable at others. "Home Free" has this rather interesting beat to it, but then Panda Bear does absolutely nothing but keep the same drone going for the entire run time. It closes the album on this strange note that feels off and distant. The record really keeps you at a distance throughout the whole thing, leaving it feeling like music with someone else in mind. It doesn't have that "whoa" factor, and without that the music doesn't really shine on it's own.

"Master" has this feel to it, like Panda Bear thinks it's a really important song that truly matters. However when you listen to it, it just feels generic and self important. Someone who thinks they know what they are talking about blathering on about it. Gone is that innocence and wonder that Panda Bear explored the world with and in it's place is a bunch of tired tropes with very little music supporting it. It almost sounds like Christian praise songs sung through a Panda Bear filter. The content isn't that good even if the song is somewhat catchy. Because most of this album is based around an acoustic guitar put through a metallic filter it feels like Panda Bear's "coffee house" period. Instead of wild free form experimentation, we have these sweet little songs about love and life. It just doesn't feel like him, nor does it feel very good. If you wanted to sit and cry over with just a touch of reverb, than maybe this is the record for you. However everyone else is just left confused and lost in this odd little record.

6.0 out of 10