Take a Breath, it’s Time to Take On Death
A review of Panda Bear’s Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper
By Steve Knapp
Many artists strive to bring audiences into their own realm of thinking. They aren’t narcissists by any means but merely want to expand viewpoints. This is what makes Panda Bear’s fifth studio album, Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper so special, he invites us into a pivotal point in his career to share, understand and celebrate the oncoming of beginnings and ends.
You ease into the album as tonal undulations swell deep into your skull. The harmonies blend together with subtle percussion to put you into a place of comfort, but all the while you’ve got the sneaking suspicion someone will come along to pull the plug on that relaxing bath in order to jerk you right out and plunge you into a different tub altogether. It’s this kind of anticipation and release that allows the album to take your hand and pull you along from one song to the next.
From there, the compositions build upon themselves and manage to find intensity in heavy beats and growling bass, but the all-encompassing foundation of warmth is never lost. Like 2007’s Person Pitch, Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper embraces listeners and welcomes us into the part of Noah Lennox’s mind that makes him Panda Bear. He brings you in, hands you a nice drink and says, “This is what I’ve got on my plate right now, enjoy.” This is evidenced by the more extravagant instrumentations that build up around the minimalist sensibilities in the lyrics and general song structure in order to help listeners accept the thoughts and themes the artist is broadcasting.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prBaZzYmQrI[/youtube]Even in the more traditional sounds found on the album there is a pulsating energy emanating from every note. Don’t confuse this for a negative mark, however, the warm sustain has the same effect as taking deep, relaxing breaths and allow songs to expand around lyrics that are purposefully restricted to amplify their overall impact.
The formula for songs becomes somewhat apparent towards the end of the album and the nature of the songs can start to wear thin. That’s why tracks like Boys Latin or Tropic of Cancer work so well and stand above the rest for me. They manage to introduce new elements to the mix while also upholding the themes established before it.
Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper is quite the introspective journey. By the end of it you’ll have a better grasp of what point in life Lennox is at and how it is influencing him as an artist. While it might not overthrow Person Pitch or Tomboy, it is a beautiful album in its own right and deserves all the attention it garners. But like I said before, there is much about change engraved in these songs, so it feels inappropriate to compare them to the past.
The compositions stand on their own and (for better or for worse) create exactly the kind of atmosphere you’d expect to find from this release. One thing is certain: this offering will more than hold up until we get another glimpse into the world of Panda Bear.
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