Following a three year hiatus, Pandatone is back with "Happy Together" on his own Music Related imprint, (the same label that brought us Shugo Tokumaru's brilliant "Night Piece"). Subtle electronica is the order of the day as Pandatone utilizes acoustic guitars, understated male and female vocals, samples and field recordings to create eight enchanting compositions. For fans of Mum, Psapp and Tujiko Noriko.
Following a three year hiatus, Pandatone is back with Happy Together on his own Music Related imprint, (the same label that brought us Shugo Tokumaru's brilliant Night Piece). As with those releases, subtle and organic electronica is the order of the day as Pandatone utilizes acoustic guitars, understated male and female vocals, samples and field recordings to create eight enchanting compositions. However, what makes this album stand out is Pandatone's urge to experiment. There are lots of little twists and turns to these songs, as he's not afraid to throw in some tape hiss and slightly dissonant elements. This is a guaranteed winner if you've enjoyed works by Mum, Psapp, Tujiko Noriko, and maybe even Portishead. (May 3, 2007)
LINER NOTES:
CD "Happy Together" appears on - he thought it was weird to write his own press blurb. So I was asked to write it. We're old friends by NYC standards, so I headed out to Queens to listen to the tracks and talk to him about making it.
Upon arrival, I proceed to harass him about his apartment. (I always do this.) "You're 30 now. Don't you think it's time to stop living like you're in college?" "But I just got this cool paper shredder and humidifier," came his retort.
We moved into the "studio," which is more like a storage space for boxes of CDs and cables than a studio - or even a bedroom. He started playing me Happy Together, but I had to almost immediately ask, "What's the deal? I thought you said you'd never release any Pandatone material on your own label?" He replied, "Yeah, shit is fucked like that. But listen to it anyway." I agreed"¦ shit is fucked, and so I shut my yap.
On the album, there are some very nice songs featuring female vocalist "Julliana Barwick" - uplifting numbers with deep production. Although slow in tempo, they are upbeat in spirit. Then there are tracks with male vocals that are much more melancholy. Pandatone tells me he doesn't write lyrics. The words are just the "shit in his head" when he hits record. Lucky for him, I think they work well together - almost playing out like shattered romance.
It's been almost three years since his debut LP on Neo Ouija records. Besides the use of acoustic guitar, I'm not sure there are many similarities between this record and his debut. The influence of running Music Related is almost instantly apparent. His room is full of instruments now - from child-sized toys to a huge reel-to-reel tape deck. The Pandatone studio is the wrong environment for a clinical claustrophobic, but full of creative possibilities if you're the right type. It feels like this environment has been transfered into the songs for Happy Together. Pandatone's fascination with the actual sound of recording is plastered all over the album. Using lots of tape and background noise, he tries to bring out specific tones that are just too far gone to really be there.
The influence of Shugo Tokumaru and the Boats is fairly noticeable - though not copied. The sound of NYC is in there too - with some tracks featuring an almost junktronic-type percussion. While the album plays and even after it ends, he is much more interested in talking about the artists who are working on stuff for Music Related than his own music, and I leave with a handful of CDs.
Whether he likes comparisons or not, I would recommend Happy Together if you like Psapp, Müm, and Tujiko Noriko.
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