[Yeah, yeah it has been out for a few months already but I do actually live in a hole.]

Toro Y Moi is a special participent to the hyper-trendy Chill Wave scene. His debut album ‘Causers of This’ had some real substance to it across its 11 side-chained-to-shit, tripped up, down beat club tracks. Causers also featured some real musicianship with neatly arranged vocal parts.

His new album Underneath the Pine takes things in a slightly different direction, he’s traded his laptop for guitars and effects pedals and he’s swapped out compression for soft distortion, thankfully he’s kept the chill.

The title track sounds like a freaky sex scene between My Bloody Valentine and Air – it’s awesome. In keeping with the overall unpredictability of the album, the opener is followed by a floor to the floor disco number lifted straight out of Moonshoes.

On a first listen it’s impossible to predict where the album will lead you, it swims and flows between many distinctly relaxed ideas, in some places it’s very Beatles and in others it’s quite Boards of Canada. With each track I can’t shake the feeling that this is the album I wish Air could still make, it’s very forward thinking, intricate, subtle and has been recorded beautifully. Stand out tracks like ‘Light Black’ and ‘Got Blinded’ really show off Toro’s understanding of sound, it’s clear that this guy is a super-geek when it comes to retro music.

For all of the diversity in the album, sonically it can tire a little on a start to finish session. Everything is impressively recorded but the frequency range of the tracks does not seem to shift much, the overall softness of the mastering keeps everything on the same level not leaving much room for dynamic range. Every now again it’s almost like you want to just pull the tea towel off the speakers and hear it with some clarity.

That’s quite an ironic thing to say from someone who’s an obsessive My Bloody Valentine fan but still, I’ve fucking gone said it now.

GOOD SHIT!

About the author

Michael Manning

Michael is a sound designer and composer working in the games industry. His portfolio can be found at www.manningaudio.com