Beach Boy Brian Wilson once claimed he was making “teenage symphonies to God.” Wilson knew, perhaps better than any musician of his time, that a great pop song can be deeply spiritual, each melody crafted as an offering to some unknown musical deity.
Animal Collective’s Panda Bear—Noah Lennox—seems to have internalized this knowledge. His band’s more melodious output sounds like gospel music for some forest-dwelling congregation, and his solo material evokes similar images.
Lennox’s acclaimed solo effort Young Prayer (2004) paid homage to his recently-deceased father with pained, Gregorian chant-like vocals and impressionistic acoustic guitar strums. Person Pitch, his latest album out this Tuesday, is a significantly lighter affair featuring fuller arrangements and more concretely optimistic vibes.
The Voice called up Lennox in his home in Lisbon to discuss this recent change in sound. In an understated, slightly groggy tone, Lennox explained, “After I did Young Prayer, which was about my father passing away and was kind of heavy, I wanted to do something that was a bit more positive … something that was more casual sounding, easier to take.”
The more blithe sound of Lennox’s recent recordings was also influenced by his move to Portugal, his recent marriage and the birth of his daughter.
“I feel like I’ve been a much happier person in the past couple of years. Some things have become more difficult. Obviously having a kid isn’t a walk in the park. I feel like I’ve figured out ways of doing things that are much healthier for myself.”
The music featured in Person Pitch is chamber pop at its best: Lennox’s echoing vocals bounce off the reverberating guitars and rickety percussion as if they were thrown into an empty, high-walled cathedral and told to play nice. Lennox achieved this swirling effect primarily by looping samples of his percussion and vocals much in the same way that a hip-hop artist would.
But while the production techniques on the album can be traced back to the work of hip-hop wizards Madlib and J Dilla, whom Lennox cites as influences, the melodies are clearly in the vein of Brian Wilson. Surprisingly, Lennox claims this resemblance was never intended.
“It definitely wasn’t a conscious thing. I try to make sure that I sound like myself and not anybody else, you know? But I see where people are coming from on that.”
Beach Boys influence or not, Person Pitch is shaping up to be one of this year’s most anticipated releases in the indie rock world. The record has been met with near-universal acclaim by critics and bloggers alike—even before its official release.
“[The hype is] weird … I didn’t anticipate it at all. I’m definitely glad that people like it, but I’m trying not to think about it too much.”
With only three dates scheduled in the U.S. for the summer, Lennox is making it rather difficult for fans to see him perform Person Pitch in the flesh. He cites a hectic recording schedule with Animal Collective and a desire to spend time with his family as constraining factors, though he still feels the album deserves a tour.
“I’m very proud of the record, so I don’t want it to just fall by the wayside.”
