Animal Collective’s growing stature culminated in the breakthrough success of 2009’s Merriweather Post Pavilion, which earned widespread critical acclaim and also infiltrated the upper end of the charts on both sides of the Atlantic. Of course, one third of the collective, Noah Lennox (aka Panda Bear), has enjoyed a parallel solo career of some distinction, releasing a string of hugely acclaimed records, including Young Prayer and the ecstatically received Person Pitch.
For Tomboy, Lennox has cited inspiration from Nirvana and The White Stripes, and whilst there are more pronounced guitar rhythms on certain tracks, for the most part Lennox stays within his favoured territory – blissful, swirling psych pop topped with the singer’s familiar smeared vocals. Naturally, Lennox executes those types of tracks perfectly, but Tomboy gets even better when he ventures into new terrain.
The singer could easily have introduced the aptly titled ‘Drone’ with the words, “Tonight, Matthew, I’m going to be Nurse With Wound!”, as the tune finds him blearily singing over shards of shrieking and buzzing electro noise. Tomboy takes a darker turn with the moody ‘Alsation Darn’ before venturing into Eno territory with the ambient – not to mention unpronounceable – gem ‘Scheherazade’.
Best of all is the epic, atmospheric trance workout ‘Afterburner’, which finds Panda Bear channelling the nocturnal vibes of German dance maestro – and Kompakt co-founder – Gas. Overall, Tomboy offers conclusive proof that Lennox remains smarter than the average Panda Bear.