Let’s generalize: Anyone reading this has probably heard Panda Bear.
But maybe you didn’t know it.
Panda Bear, the Baltimore-born, Lisbon-based musician otherwise known as Noah Lennox, keeps a low profile with the press but has had a hand in some of the past decade’s best indie tracks. That sweet, angelic vocal on “Doin’ It Right” from Daft Punk’s smash 2013 LP Random Access Memories? Damn right, it was Noah. “My Girls,” Animal Collective’s biggest song to date? Yes, that’s Noah too because he’s in Animal Collective. What about “Walkabout,” that killer Atlas Sound track…you get the idea.
While Noah’s street cred was most established as co-frontman of Animal Collective and as a feature artist on other people’s tracks, his solo work is where he really shines. With the release of 2007’s high-profile LP, Person Pitch, Noah established an unmistakably unique voice. Far less frenzied than that of Avey Tare, his partner in Animal Collective, Lennox’s style is hazy, hypnotic, and melodic. Lyrically, Lennox likes to find beauty in the ordinary. On “Daily Routine,” a shimmering highlight from Animal Collective’s Merriweather Post Pavillion, Lennox sang, “What good is it to make it fast…sing a song at the traffic pass.”
Sometime soon, Lennox will release his first LP since 2011’s low-key Tomboy. The tentative title for LP5 is, yes, Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper. Over the summer, Lennox played some sporadic dates in Europe and the U.S. and this fall he has embarked on a more extensive U.S. run. The summer shows showcased unreleased material (presumably songs from PBMTGR) to very, very positive response.
As a part of his road testing new material, Panda Bear will take the Majestic’s stage on this Saturday, September 27. For fans of psychedelic indie music—think Animal Collective, Ariel Pink, and Beach House—this is where you want to be on Saturday.