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Published at 3:36pm
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It’s assumed that Noah Lennox, a.k.a. Panda Bear, isn’t solely responsible for the joyous melodies that grace Animal Collective’s music. But Person Pitch, his third solo album and a mighty statement of ecstatic tunefulness, challenges that assumption and many others. Hyperbole be damned: After dozens of listens, Person Pitch reveals itself as something of a miracle, a record that will not lose a fleck of its magic in 20 or 50 years. Technology aside (Lennox employs samplers and other electronic gear), it’s about as unspecific to a time as chocolate.
As with Animal Collective, the most obvious influence on Person Pitch would seem to be the Beach Boys’ sunny melodicism. But Brian Wilson’s best songs are about retreating from an unpleasant reality; Lennox’s beatific music turns toward the world and opens its arms wide. His layered, reverbed vocals resemble sacred choral music more than any referent from the world of pop or rock.
It’s hard to pull highlights from an album that has nothing but. The opener, “Comfy in Nautica,” could not be more rousing, a mysterious hand-clapped prayer to—if the barely discernible lyrics are any indication—the art of knowing a person. Two 12-minute-plus suitelike pieces, the sumptuous “Bros” and the protean “Good Girl/Carrots,” are masterpieces of composition, with deft detailing that works on both a micro and a macro level. In the CD’s booklet, Lennox lists about a hundred musicians, ostensibly as influences, from Kylie Minogue and George Michael to Björn Olsson and Can. He’s not showing off—it’s all in his music. — Mike Wolf
