Buy seconds is at once relentless and fantastic. ‘Slow Motion’ seems to bob along like a life buoy and highlights Lennox’s vocals which are strong and confident with the keyboards and reverb creating a rich texture. ‘Surfer’s Hymn’ opens fittingly with sounds of the ocean, before a schizophrenic xylophone kicks in, but again his voice is front and central. “When there are hard times I’ll step up” he sings keeping with a theme of introspection found throughout Tomboy.
‘Drone’ is heavy on the synths, and again heavy on the reverb, perfectly positioned at the mid-point of the tracklist. It’s a more ambient venture with a minute long outro that works perfectly, and serves of an example of the tight production and effort that clearly went into this album. The amazingly meditative quality of ‘Scheherezade’ is something to behold, its minor scales float along and Lennox’s voice itself becoming another instrument cascading in a beautiful and glorious waterfall amongst the sustain and resonance. The diamond precision and attention to detail found here is breathtaking.
Tomboy was recorded in Lisbon, Portugal, with renowned producer Peter Kember (aka Sonic Boom) of Spacemen 3/Spectrum mixing and arranging. The album has been released by Paw tracks in the usual formats as well as a special hi-fidelity version on DMM vinyl and a box set of 12″ singles. Lennox moved the release date forward a week so it would be available for Record Store Day, where, as I write this, I’m sure it’s selling like the proverbial hotcake. Tomboy demands repeat listens, the tight production and layers of texture constantly offering something new; the time spent getting this thing right is evident. The wait is over and the payoff is excellent.
Dave Roberts – April 16, 2011.
Slow Motion
Panda Bear (USA)
From the album, ‘Tomboy’, Paw Tracks
Download here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ycw2RnSo7Q4
