PANDA BEAR & SONIC BOOM
A ? Of When (Domino)
Noah ‘Panda Bear’ Lennox’s output, both solo and with Animal Collective, has always sounded lush and beautiful, with an undercurrent of sadness or anxiety. This no longer appears to be the case. In collaboration with Pete ‘Sonic Boom’ Kember, he’s crafted an album that can comfortably be described as goofy. Goofy in an “I’ve paid my dues, now I’m having fun” way and goofy in, well, a goofy way.
There’s the slap-back production and dippy vocals of the sort Joe Meek would be proud of, the almost Go-Kart Mozartian title track, and what could be kazoo on closer Graveyard. For those who crave the prettier side of the two, the swooshy drifts of Something Like Dreaming – underpinned by loops of Mary Lattimore’s harp – hits the spot. It’s great to hear two artists not resting on their laurels and/or ploughing the same old furrow; A ? Of When feels destined to be a cult curio.
words ADAM JONES
