Panda Bear: Crosswords EP

Seven months after Panda Bear’s latest album, Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper, Noah Lennox, former member of Animal Collective, has released his EP for “Crosswords.” Grim Reaper takes on the standard electronic-pop style constant through all of Panda Bear’s albums, but with an eerie twist. Lennox combines the style with a combination of distorted sounds. “Mr. Noah” opens with an unsettling clip of what sounds like whining dogs. However, Crossover EP takes a more upbeat approach.

“Crosswords” opens the EP, a familiar track from Grim Reaper, with extracts of the 90’s electronic genre. The echo riff in the background sounds similar to the style of Savage Garden. “No Mans Land” follows with a cosmic theme and metallic beats. Panda Bear is mainly composed of heavy synth sounds, but Lennox softens the sharp sound with his fluid vocals. “Jabberwocky,” although relatively upbeat like the rest of the EP, reflects the haunting melodies found in Grim Reaper. “Cosplay” ends the five-track EP with a sound similar to the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds, with simple and repetitive lyrics, an ode to the greener things in life. “Marijuana makes my day.”

4/5