Another Panda Bear 7″ just dropped, and it showed up at my door just one day ago. It’s funny how quick I turn around to share it with you guys, not just because I know the world loves Panda Bear, but because we’ve been following this whole Panda Bear thing since the first 7″.
There’s two brand new songs on this 7″, and just like the last two we covered, they get us that much closer to the new Panda Bear album that should be dropping sometime in 2011. But before that’s finally upon us, there should be one more 7″ from Panda Bear before the whole record drops – probably coming from Kompakt.fm.
First up is the title track “Last Night at the Jetty”. Everything you’d want in a Panda Bear song is there – which will definitely please even the most seasoned Panda Bear listener. Wobbly sounds and an echoing drum clap give you the feeling you’re drifting off into space, only to suddenly snap back into position every time that alarming clap comes back. Panda Bear serenades us with his familiar vocals, still sounding like Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys in their heyday, which is never, ever a bad thing. Voices like those have the ability to keep a smile on your face – especially if it’s anything like this one right here.
Flip that thing over for the B-side, titled “Drone”. Kind of ironic, right? This one is totally stripped down of just about everything but a gurgling, buzzy ambiance and a thick bass to give the song some much needed substance. Of course, Panda Bear is there to sing as well, but this one definitely doesn’t come off as your typical Panda Bear song as of late – which could be looked at as both a good thing and a bad thing. Good because he’s switching it up a bit and giving us some variety – bad because people immediately get pissed when things change, because generally, people aren’t so cool with change. But in reality, people are still gonna eat this shit up regardless. The song rides out on that buzzy ambiance for a little over a minute before suddenly ending right at the four minute mark.
Before we wrap it up, check out the cover art – it’s kind of creepy. If you have the actual 7″ in hand (and a good imagination), take a closer look. It almost looks like a half-legless Darth Vader ghost floatin’ around up there above the dock. He must have just finished pushing somebody in the water with cinder blocks tied to their feet and is now floating away from the scene of the crime – or he just choked them to death, yr choice. Talk about the dark side.
PS – Sorry for all the scratchy, crackling sounds in the songs – remember, I rip this stuff from vinyl, so it’s nearly impossible to make that stop. As far as I know anyway. Let me know if there’s something I can do to fix that. Forum dwellers don’t seem to take this into consideration…
PPS – Now that my finals are over and I’m on winter break (TOO MUCH EXCITEMENT!), expect to start seeing ‘end of the year’ lists showing up. Plus, we have a special CREEPOID related feature coming for you folks a little down the way…so stay tuned, because I think yr gonna like it.
Last Night at the Jetty –
Drone –
My Rating: 7/10
Genre/ Tags: Electronic, Experimental, Pop, Dub
Last Night at the Jetty 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Last Night at the Jetty
2.) Drone
Panda Bear on Myspace
BUY the 7″ directly from Insound – Limited to 3000 !
Panda Bear – Tomboy 7″ previously posted on the Drone
Panda Bear – You Can Count On Me 7″ previously posted on the Drone
Styrofoam Drone 
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