Panda Bear – Crosswords

The Experimental Panda Bear

Noah Lennox is better known by his moniker Panda Bear. After releasing his debut album in 1999, he took a five year break from releasing solo records. During this time, he focused solely on recording and touring with his experimental pop group Animal Collective. Panda Bear went back to releasing solo records, including his fifth full length album, “Panda Bear Meets The Grim Reaper,” which was released this past January. Then in August, he transformed his track, “Crosswords,” into a five song EP of the same title.

“No Man’s Land” is a track on Crosswords that seems to be impressively filled with an endless amount of electronic layers. The sound is equal parts psychedelic and groove, the synthesizers are electric and mesmerizing from the start. When Panda Bear reaches the chorus, he passionately cries out the lines, “So it’s getting busy living / Or it’s getting busy dying.” Despite the fact that this is a track that contains a multitude of elements, it’s not particularly memorable when considering Panda Bear’s extensive catalog. While it’s a solid track, it isn’t one that fans are likely to pick out when reminiscing on their favorite Panda Bear songs.

On “Jabberwocky,” Panda Bear sings the line, “Shoot for the stars / Then you’ll only end up lost in space.” The lyrics alone are simple enough, but the combination of the music and melody is what really intrigues listeners. Speaking of melody, “Cosplay” has one that certainly manages to stand out from the pack. The sound consists of chilled out synthesizers that are completely stripped back and easy to listen to. The sound revealed on this track is trippy, which works naturally well for Panda Bear.

Crosswords isn’t the best work from Panda Bear, but it’s still experimental and shows off his musical talents. Additionally, it’s sure to please his longtime fans. As far as drawing in new fans goes, this is unlikely due to its short length. However, Panda Bear is still a musician that deserves credit for his creative and unique style.