Panda Bear – Person Pitch (2xLP, 45 rpm)

Panda Bear's Person Pitch, released in March 2007, is a genre-blurring masterpiece that fuses psychedelic pop, ambient textures, and experimental sampling into a warm, hypnotic whole. Created by Noah Lennox of Animal Collective, the album marked a departure from traditional songwriting, favoring loops and layered samples over conventional instrumentation. Tracks like "Bros" and "Comfy in Nautica" demonstrate Lennox's knack for creating expansive, meditative compositions that evoke the spirit of the Beach Boys filtered through a kaleidoscopic lens.

The album was met with widespread critical acclaim and became a cornerstone of the 2000s indie and experimental scenes. Praised for its originality, Person Pitch topped numerous year-end lists and was later ranked among the best albums of the decade by several major publications. Its influence can be heard in the work of many artists that followed, especially those exploring the fusion of electronic textures with emotional pop sensibilities. It's an album that rewards close listening and invites repeated exploration.

Reviews

"Person Pitch is a collagist classic of sidelong Beach Boys-isms and kitchen-sink sonics that sits firmly in the sampledelic canon." — Pitchfork

"A striking, ambitious take on pop music." — Slant Magazine

"Person Pitch proves he's a first-rate solo artist." — Rolling Stone

"Person Pitch is a very weird album to me... But songs like Bros, which feels super hypnotizing and really rewarding by the end of it." — Album of The Year

"Person Pitch is a treat for the ears, combining warped Beach Boys pop with lush effects and beautiful melodies." — Music Critic