Panda Bear: Sinister Grift
Panda Bear, the moniker of Animal Collective member Noah Lennox, has been birthing fluid, sample-based musical collages for more than two decades. Out of-the-box creativity that defies expectations is, at this point, all but expected from the Portugal based creator. And that’s what makes his latest solo LP, Sinister Grift, such a fun listen: it’s the most approachable, traditional rock-and-roll record he’s ever made. Co-produced with his Animal Collective bandmate Josh “Deakin” Dibb, Panda Bear’s first solo album in five years is packed with memorable melodies, encased in sounds that won’t leave you scratching your head—guitar, bass, tambourine, percussion. There are dotted lines to iconic records like Pet Sounds here, all filtered through Panda Bear’s twisting, turning imagination. Every member of Animal Collective lends a hand across Sinister Grift; the band’s own 2022 album Time Skiffs was among their most rock-forward records, and the push toward organic sounds is still going. On the first single, “Defense,” lo-fi cult hero Cindy Lee adds echoing guitar layers as Panda Bear coos, “Here I come.” It’s certainly not a declaration of reinvention, but after years of Lennox making wildly hard-to-classify classics, the dreamy surf-rock grooves of Sinister Grift is a gift. Songs like “Ferry Lady” bounce along with eminently hummable, bright melodies (check that song’s stacked harmonies as Panda Bear finds himself “lost in thought”) and playful additions (queue the trumpet!) On the slow, woozy “Anywhere But Here,” you’ll even hear Lennox’s teenage daughter Nadja read a poem she composed. Sinister Grift may be Panda Bear’s least demanding listen, but nothing feels basic or uninspired; these 10 tracks remain experimental, unpredictable, and wonderfully weird.
