March 6th
Panda Bear - Young Prayer
Out of all the solo Panda Bear releases I've heard, this one probably took me the most by surprise. Not because it's super abrasive or anything, but because it seems so simple. It's just him with an acoustic guitar and his voice, accompanied by weird electronic and baroque flourishes that pop up here and there.
By no means am I saying this is bad. In fact, I really liked this. It's just not quite what I'm used to with Panda Bear. As such, I think this will grow on me more, later on.
The story behind this one is pretty heartbreaking, and it is a bit essential to putting this album into perspective. It was meant as a gift for his dying father, and as such, it seems simple and down-to-earth. It's not a big, long studio effort, it's only 28 minutes. And it's just Panda Bear pouring his heart out to his father.
The post-production by the rest of Animal Collective contributes a great deal to the album. It further shows how Animal Collective just wanted to experiment with sound as much as they could, as well as providing a sort of contrast to Panda Bear's smooth, wounded-sounding voice.
I liked this a lot the first time through, and I can tell it's gonna grow on me still. Pretty beautiful stuff. 8.5/10.