Panda Bear: Tomboy

     After pushing the envelope further and further off the table with his Baltimore based Animal Collective, Noah Lennox (AKA Panda Bear) has been rightfully crowned king of the indie/experimental scene.  In 2007, he further incited the hipster masses with his solo effort, Person Pitch, an album which many critics agree sets the standard for indie rock.  Lennox's long antipated sophomore release, Tomboy,  does its best to live up to the hype.
        Listeners, especially new ones, must approach Tomboy with an open mind, as Lennox employs his typical blips, synths, and HEAVY reverb effects.  It is a shame that the indie rock scene has been so over-saturated with artists who use these effects unsuccessfully, as they have become as prevalent as auto-tune in pop music.   Tomboy is not a particularly accessible album, as it is ample on noise, and devoid of melody.  Still, Lennox creates a beautiful album, exchanging Person Pitch's driving electronic beats for hazy atmospheric sounds.  The opening song, "You Can Count On Me," seems to expand forever, and "Scheherezade" is downright creepy with its lonely, isolated sound and mood.
    Panda Bear's Tomboy may never take the radio by storm, nor sell an exorbitant amount of copies, but few can argue the creativity Noah Lennox possesses.  This latest effort lives up all of Lennox's previous efforts, and continues to solidify his reverence as indie rock legend.