Toro y Moi
's debut record,
Causers of This
, fit firmly in the newly formed chillwave tradition.
Chaz Bundick
(the sole member of the group) created a sound that was hazy, lazy, and submerged with lots of peaceful melody and an easygoing late-night warmth and charm. On the follow-up,
Bundick
could have done more of the same and it would have been just fine, thanks to his way with a melody and the invention he put into the lo-fi arrangements. Instead,
Underneath the Pine
takes some of the chill out of the wave and strips away much of the murk. The resulting record is a shiny, dreamy affair that retains all the hooks and feel of the first album but adds some energy and pop immediacy. The biggest change, apart from the more focused production, is that in between albums
seems to have (mostly) forsaken his shoegaze fetish and discovered
Stereolab
and their take on space age bachelor pad music. Many of the songs on
Underneath
have the chiming guitars, blocky organ parts, squiggly synths, and robotic rhythms, as well as the tight and looping vocal harmonies, that
patented.
adds some soft rock chord changes to the mix, and the resulting sound -- while highly reminiscent of
the Lab
-- actually ends up sounding quite unique. The real piano (or a reasonable imitation of one) that pops up now and then is a nice touch that distances
from the chillwave aesthetic. The unabashedly fun dance tracks on the album are also a leap forward. While
Causers
'
"Low Shoulder"
was danceable enough,
"New Beat"
and
"Still Sound"
leap feet-first onto the dancefloor with steady rocking beats, pumping basslines, and sensually delivered vocals. The keyboards on both tracks are kind of magical too; the shimmering piano runs on
and the cheesy but super-funky synth on
are perfect. Based on these songs,
could easily slip out of this whole chillwave thing and become a disco hero. Within the context of the album, though, they provide a boost of energy and fun that makes the record really pop.
is an improvement in every way on
, and it should be the start of a long and interesting run of records by
. ~ Tim Sendra