[rating=4.50]
Person Pitch simmers as a summer soundscape and brews a fetching take on repetition. Noah Lennox of Animal Collective (as his side-project name, Panda Bear) has released an album with a hodgepodge of electronic samples and his endearing Brian Wilson-esque harmonies forming a great contender (thus far) for album of the year. Throughout the breathtaking seven tracks, Lennox infuses quintessential sounds of summer (wind chimes, tree frogs, crashing waves, etc.) into a whirlwind mixture of sonic somethings and nothings. Snippets of sounds come together to form dramatic repetitions that work themselves into crescendos and ethereal excursions. Instead of being boring, the tautology works with Lennox and his vocals as the songs fold into different moods.
“Take Pills” begins with a slight sound of a record player at the end of a record, adds chimes and bells, and Lennox exudes his Gregorian chants with haunting harmonies. The track then slips into a hop-scotch day-tripper complete with hand-jives, underwater bubbles at a water park, and a basically acapella, jumping melody. While the chanting vocals can be meditative and downright trance-inducing, the lyrics hold their own. Highly lauded “Bros” contains lyrics that proceed in layers: “I’m not trying to forget you; I just want to be alone." These are words that scream respect in a subdued tone, as Person Pitch continues with sonic treats at every turn.
