"Record Reviews"

Here are some record reviews. There are going to be loose unwritten rules about how reviews are on this site, but they are unwritten so i think you will just pick up the style.

Battles-Just got this one and have listened to it once or twice through. Really cool, especially the first 2 tracks. The sound is so fresh (the way the drums sound sticks out) and borrows from so many places sucessfully that its one of those records that is worth it just for the tracks where it is really clicking, even if its not solid all the way through. I wouldnt call this record "not solid all the way through" but its so heavy and intense in a proggy way that only time will tell to see if I can adjust to it. More on the second track, I think the best part of it is the confidence of composition. Those guys just introduce new things and it pretty much works. That said theres that one non-chord tone up top that is the accent on the main riff and they never really go into it as part of a chord which seemed like the winning move to me.

Panda Bear- I listened to the most recent Panda Bear all the way through for the first time today. Man it really made me think of Brian Wilson. I remember when the Of Montreal record "Satanic Panic in the Attic" first came out people were like "whoa this is really trippy...sorta like Brian Wilson!" because there were these extreme vocal overdubs and strong melodies, but I never really bought the comparison because it was maybe too self-aware (compared to their earlier stuff) and also the voice is just a different quality in a way that I thought precluded that. Not true with this Panda Bear record. His voice is so light and also in front in the mix of the other vocal lines. The melodies are so strong its almost overwhelming.