![]() ![]() The bigger problem is that What For? doesn’t address much of anything directly, and that’s an issue on a record which appears to make Bundick’s chops as a songwriter and a lyricist a focal point.īefitting a guy best known for crafting a vibe, one can sense these songs are emotive and heartfelt. And though these are Toro Y Moi’s peers, putting Bundick against them might seem unfair: he does not deal with Big Emotional Issues as directly as the aforementioned. So is the vast majority of popular indie rock. The conversation should not end there-they’re pleasant, but so is Real Estate. Which is to say that the pleasantry of Toro Y Moi might not be its most endearing quality, but it’s certainly the most enduring. ![]() Even as Bundick appears to have moved on from post-collegiate concerns to straight-up adult problems, What For? most oftens advocates tabling discussion until emotions have settled. So, even when the band shows vigor during the liftoff of "Empty Nesters", the quick pivots of "Buffalo", and the uptempo funk of "Spell It Out", nothing seems particularly pressing. So if this is called Toro Y Moi’s "indie rock album," the "rock" part is a vestigial appendage: yes, the basis for pretty much everything here is a trad power trio set up and the synthesizers use tones that predate the '80s and will thus be called "organic." But this is guitar music without abrasion or yearning, and it’ll play just as well in the venues in which Underneath the Pine and An**ything in Return were suited for-rooftop parties, barbecues, apartment get-togethers.Īnd after his first three LPs were given counterintuitive deep winter release dates, What For? admits to Toro Y Moi’s music sounding best when the weather’s making you feel a bit more irresponsible than usual. But throughout, there’s revelation in the aesthetic familiarity Bundick has established: in particular, the globular harmonies, cushy production, and a pervasive dampness that either recalls the fog of his new home Berkeley or the humidity of his native South Carolina. There are a handful of new modes here: the Woods-y rusticity on "Ratcliff" and "Run Baby Run"’s pinwheel-eyed pop-rock would’ve been out of place on any prior release. That and Bundick is something of a post-grad role model, having the ability to be flexible, amenable to change, and ultimately successful in all ventures without showing much struggle. What For? then serves as further evidence that Toro Y Moi’s malleability is the project's most endearing quality. But then, Our Love threatened to make Toro Y Moi redundant and while Bundick’s Les Sins has run concurrent to his main gig, it's proven him to be an enthusiastic, earnest, and ultimately functional dance producer. Or, he sounded like a cuddly, plush Caribou, a role easier to accept in the absence of new Caribou music and the mutual artistic appreciation between Bundick and Dan Snaith. However, Bundick has always been canny about switching lanes: at the time, 2013’s Anything in Return felt like Toro Y Moi hitting its stride, making liquid and limber electro-acoustic dance-pop. Every Toro Y Moi release finds the band in transition, and so What For? might be seen as a regression in some ways ditching guitar rock for electronics has become a sign of maturity for both listeners and artists, inverting the typical rockist trajectory. ![]()
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