At some point everyone encounters a slump. Whether that occurs in music, academics or the workplace, humans eventually falter. Panda Bear (Noah Lennox) does not adhere to that notion in the slightest, especially over the last five years. Every eighteen months he seems involved in something that increases the stakes for his contemporaries, whether it be his day job in Animal Collective or his ever-burgeoning solo project. Although it is tough to call Tomboy his masterpiece with 2007's Person Pitch still lurking as the most influential indie pop album of the past decade, it is equally difficult to justify placing it on a much lower podium.
Tomboy continues to proceed where Merriweather Post Pavillion left off in terms of employing his growing fondness for circular compositions. Nowhere does he drive home the point better than the tense "Slow Motion," with repeated vocal phrasing that supplements a wobbly beat. The title track buzzes and wheezes with an uneasiness rarely used in a Panda Bear song, at least to such an extent. The epic "Afterburner" churns for seven minutes and ranks right alongside "Bros" and "Good Girls/Carrots" as a career achievement. Whereas those songs sounded whimsical, "Afterburner" does not feature competing movements and feels doubtful and unresolved. This signifies a larger theme on Tomboy, which is that this album feels more like the record that should have followed the tragic events in his life, despite the lyrical subjects on his Merriweather contributions.
Panda Bear deserves plaudits for avoiding the boyish pop found on previous songs like "Derek," "Ponytail" and "Brothersport." He favors actual instruments here as opposed to the sample-laden Person Pitch. Most musicians would do the complete opposite to achieve these outcomes, but instead he bucks the trends by entering electro-drone territory relying heavily on tangible tools. Thankfully, Panda Bear chose not to abandon his expertise for allowing melodies to hang with the proper amount of time for this record. By stretching out the vocal lines, especially on "Drone," he achieves a balance that most fail to create when exploring this style.
When Lennox briefly returns to previous inpsirations they serve him well. The brightness of "Surfers Hymn" will not silence any of the Brian Wilson comparisons and easily could have a found a spot on Person Pitch. "Last Night at the Jetty," despite its somberness, also contains the classic descending/ascending vocals that lean on early Beach Boys material. Panda Bear remains unparalleled at the moment in his ability to finish off the peaks and valleys of a pop melody by always finding the resolving note, from wherever it may come.
As with any release associated with Animal Collective, it takes well over a dozen listens for Tomboy to begin revealing itself. The layered percussion, odd instrumentation, varying sounds and frequently doubled reverbed vocals gives listeners amble opportunity for deconstruction. Noah Lennox once again has created fifty minutes of music that plays from beginning to end seamlessly and superbly. Perhaps the murmur of him supplanting Thom Yorke as the carrier of the torch deserves a higher volume and larger forum. To quote Panda Bear from the opening song of this record: "know at least I'll try/know you can count on me." Well said, sir.
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