imsjry Posted December 26, 2007 Share Posted December 26, 2007 OK, so this Panda Bear is on many top 10 lists of the year and I thought I'd check it out. I have tried about 5 times now and every time I listen to I keep thinking that I need drugs to appreciate it. I'm not making assumptions about anyone who digs this, but I cannot listen to it. Am I wrong in assuming it must sound better with chemicals?? To me, it sounds like a acid-influenced Beech Boys experiement gone wrong..... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
embiggen Posted December 26, 2007 Share Posted December 26, 2007 I think your assessment is correct, but you don't have to be on drugs to enjoy it. I have it and listen to it quite a bit, on drugs and off. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Atticus Posted December 26, 2007 Share Posted December 26, 2007 this one? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
El Picador Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 I like it plenty with no drugs. Especially Bros. I played it for my mom, who is 60, and she liked it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beltmann Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 I think I could listen to "Bros" all day long. In fact, I think I have. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
FourStrongWinds Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 i like his music alright, but i read an interview with him and he seemed like a bit of a tool Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MattZ Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 I went for a run the other day and I had my mp3 player with me. I was listening to Panda Bear. At the 20 min mark or so, I got a runner's high. While I was listening to Panda Bear. That was one of the most bizarre experiences of my life. Cool, though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
willywoody Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 i too have listened to some of the songs online but haven't gotten what the fuss is all about. from all descriptions i should love it. although the same could be said for grizzly bear and i'm giving up and selling back my yellow house lp. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
imsjry Posted December 27, 2007 Author Share Posted December 27, 2007 Maybe I'm just becoming an old "fuddy-duddy", but where are the songs? You know, musicianship and melodies. Stuff like that. And to think it is on many lists as a Top 10 of the year. I just don't hear anything there. What am I missing? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
solace Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 i enjoy it and think it's pretty interesting, but certainly not one of the years very best for me (think it just made my top 40). like you, I too prefer songs and melodies to things that just "sound cool". there are some great melodies on the album (Bros for example), but a lot of the album just tests my patience. at least i can listen to and enjoy PB though, because Animal Collective just make me angry/confused/annoyed. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Synthesizer Patel Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 Maybe I'm just becoming an old "fuddy-duddy", but where are the songs? You know, musicianship and melodies. Stuff like that. And to think it is on many lists as a Top 10 of the year. I just don't hear anything there. What am I missing? You're not missing anything if you don't like it. At least you gave it a try, though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DrNo Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 I just don't get kids these days with their Animal Collective and their Daft Punk and their DJs and whatnot. That being said, the Panda Bear album has some exquisite moments. Not in my top ten though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sureshot Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 Maybe I'm just becoming an old "fuddy-duddy", but where are the songs? You know, musicianship and melodies. Stuff like that. And to think it is on many lists as a Top 10 of the year. I just don't hear anything there. What am I missing? No melodies?! Did you even listen to the record? This thing is DRIPPING with melodies. The whole album sounds like some half-forgotten childhood summer. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Synthesizer Patel Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 No melodies?! Did you even listen to the record? This thing is DRIPPING with melodies. The whole album sounds like some half-forgotten childhood summer. Yeah, I don't get the 'no melodies' thing, seeing as how the whole album is made up entirely of melody and rhythm. But, I remember a lot of people saying the same thing about Joanna Newsom's Ys from last year, so I just assume some people have a different idea of what melody actually means. I think it actually comes down to song structure which people have an issue with, along with the fact that they don't like what they hear (which, as I said before, is more than fair enough) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
FourStrongWinds Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 do people really listen to 40 new albums a year?? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
solace Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 do people really listen to 40 new albums a year??double it. i guess i'm lucky since i can listen to music (at a pretty high volume too ) all day at work. i'd guess i listen to music around 6-12 hours a day on a given day. i definitely realize not everyone is able to do that though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
FourStrongWinds Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 no it just makes me laugh when people say, yeah so and so is my top 20 this year, even 10. i suppose its cos i mostly buy old records or just things that are a few years old i havnt heard yet and only about 5-10 new releases each year. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
embiggen Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 lucky Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tongue-tied Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 no musicianship, really. good melodies though. i think it's great, but it seems like one exercise done over several times with varying degrees of success. it's probably in my top 10 or 20 (even though i can't decide on a top 5 ). i really like it, but i wonder if its popularity at the top of critic's lists is inflated by its novelty. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
HighFives Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 yeah I bought a panda bear record to see what the deal was and it sucked balls. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
embiggen Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mountain bed Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 i guess i'm lucky since i can listen to music (at a pretty high volume too ) all day at work. i'd guess i listen to music around 6-12 hours a day on a given day. i definitely realize not everyone is able to do that though.I can and do too - except it's like 6 -12 hours of Grateful Dead per day. Yes, I'm insane. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Atticus Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 double it. i guess i'm lucky since i can listen to music (at a pretty high volume too ) all day at work. i'd guess i listen to music around 6-12 hours a day on a given day. i definitely realize not everyone is able to do that though. do you need an assistant? (I can sue people you don't like--added bonus) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beltmann Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 Maybe I'm just becoming an old "fuddy-duddy", but where are the songs?Perhaps you just have limited notions of what songs can be. Panda Bear does not produce conventional songs, true, but that does not disqualify his music from being songs--they are just a different kind of song. There's room for all kinds, right? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
giraffo Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 Perhaps you just have limited notions of what songs can be. Panda Bear does not produce conventional songs, true, but that does not disqualify his music from being songs--they are just a different kind of song. There's room for all kinds, right? I thought the comparison to Grizzly Bear was odd, because while Panda Bear has his freedom in looping and melody and schitzo structure, Grizzly Bear has a lot of more convential structuring. I thought the album was good, but I didn't really think it sounded entirely like a cohesive album, more like a bunch of ideas. Maybe that's my one problem, is that the loose structures of the songs don't make them sound like flowing parts of songs but entirely different songs nonetheless. Definitely interesting, though. I don't get how musicianship is a question, there's more to that title than simply being a good time keeper/guitar player/whatever, there's definitely a lot of care taken in all it's pieces and that's part of being a musician. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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