polar bear hugs are nice in the summer

PANDA BEAR - PERSON PITCH

I'm sitting in front of my computer on a sunny Saturday morning in my PJ's. No-ones woken up yet. Time to play Panda Bear. Having obsessed over every side-project, B-side, bootleg, etc. of Animal Collective's for a while, Panda has been the natural direction to go. His potato mashed smearings of sample blurred into each other, fading in and out, create a laid-back marching sound which is nice to chill to, sing along to, and dance to. The flow in this album is impeccable, easily swinging from one song to another.

Being an Animal Collective nerd, I have watched many videos of Panda Bear playing live. He generally stands in the middle of the stage, with his panda beanie on (there's a picture of it on my desktop), fiddling with a sampler, some peddles, a synth, and occasionally singing a few lines into the mike. Behind him, images and light smother the stage, and he bops around with his big headphones.

The catchy feel of Take Pills with it's ongoing bass loop, and Panda nearly whaling above the track. And then the more jiggy tune of Bros. Person Pitch's album art enticingly sets the scene for the songs to come, beachy and very animalistic. The sung loop on I'm Not mixed with an easy drum-line and panda bear's sprawled voice. Then suddenly on Good Girl we see a dramatic bongo and what sometimes sounds like sirens, all of this perfect for any indie-fag arty-party. Search For Delcious sends as back into the lazy ethereal. And to finish, the more conventional Ponytail leaves us with a short song to contemplate what the heck we just heard.

This album is so relaxed that sea-gulls will fall out of the sky and land in bean-bags if you play it outside. Like the album art, you just wanna hop in a jacouzzi with your vintage bathing suit and chat up some furry Canadian animals. Hot. I'd say five stars but the album left me a feeling of 'can't be fucked', so I'll be slumming 'round the house in my PJs for the rest of the day I guess...

Favourite Song: Take Pills

Favourite Line: "...I'm not trying to forget you. I just like to be alone. Come and give me the space I need..."