The War on Drugs: Slave Ambient.

   It is a rare treat when a band can channel both the past and future within one incredible album.  Slave Ambient by Philadelphia raised The War on Drugs does just that.  Plain and simple, this shamefully underrated band has released not only the best album of 2011 (stated with absolute confidence, even though it is only September), but one of the greatest works in the last several years.
      The War on Drugs released their debut album, Wagonwheel Blues, in 2008.  This album was a nonstop highlight reel of Americana.  Slave Ambient takes this same principle, and expounds on it tenfold.  The band continues its traditional rock and roll style, with raspy vocals, evocative of Springsteen and Dylan, and traditional instrumentation, but adds a futuristic touch, adding synthy layers and ambient jams.  The culminating sound is awe-inspiring....honestly, no blog will do it justice.  Just go listen to it.

 

 

Toro Y Moi and the chillwave movement

     In the last twenty years, electronic music has evolved from a computer nerd experiment, to drug culture soundtrack, to a credible and tenable genre of music.  Since its inception, electronic music has branched into several different sub-genres, and has matured from simple blips to textured compositions, and no production displays this sophistication as the chillwave movement, led by Chazwick Bundick (AKA Toro y Moi)

     Chillwave, a moniker that has blossomed simultaneously in various hipster friendly locales, can be characterized by electronic or Indie based music filled with synthesizer loops and effects processing.  Chillwave often involves vocals, but they are heavily filtered through reverb effects.  The resulting effort is music that evokes a spacey "shoegazy" vibe.  The dreamy sounds have been popularized by urban cynicism, hope, and the reemergence of psychedelic experimentation among intellectuals. 

      The release of Panda Bear's Person Pitch, see above is universally accepted as the inception of the chillwave movement.  Since then, a seemingly endless array of artists have emerged that can be classified as part of the chillwave movement.  Sadly, many creative artists have been drowned out by groups  who practice benign effects and ambiance for the sake of the trend.  While it is a shame that the genre is quickly undergoing harsh commodification, it has subsequently allowed for creative minds to offer unbelievable variations on the art form, and expounding upon an already A-typical genre of music.  No other music shows this occurrence as Toro y Moi.

      Chazwick Bundick (AKA Toro y Moi) subscribes to most of the credos of the chillwave movement, but his sound is based more principally on hip-hop.  Toro y Moi incorporates ambient loops, synths, and filtered vocals just as tactfully as any other artist on the scene, but has applied them to beats and funky rhythms to create mellow sound, albeit not enough to be classified as downtempo.  There is enough progressiveness in his tunes to make some of his songs somewhat danceable, even though his albums have a dulcet, lounge, vibe.

      Toro y Moi blasted on the scene in 2010 with his debut album, Causers of This.  While released in during the heat of the chillwave movement, Toro y Moi opted for a more electronic vibe, over the indie rock of his colleagues.  His sound offered electronica fans a more mild option than the intestine rattling dubstep prominent on the digital scene.  Where dubstep's emphasized intesity, Causers of This relied on rhythm and textures.  The result is stunning pathos; something rarely found within the electronic world. 

  

  In 2011, Toro y Moi released his sophomore effort, Underneath the Pine.  This album was welcomed with rave reviews, and proved that this artist is at the forefront of the electronic chillwave movement, and that his previous effort was not a fluke.  Underneath the Pine highlights Bundick's second to none amibtion, and his ability to pursue new direction rather than rest on his laurels.  Underneath the Pine, although still clinging to the skeleton of his sound,  opts for more organic textures (organ, chimes, and even a live drummer!) rather than the synth pop of Causers of This.  Additionally, songs like "New Beat" see above show off Toro y Moi's penchant for funk music, while still remaining rooted to his signature warmth and melody.  The results of his enterprise is one of the best LP's of 2011.
     Within the next couple of years, the popularity of this new chillwave movement will almost definitely subside as the next new sound hits cities across the universe.  With that, thousands of bands and DJs will search for new jobs, or find a new sound for new ears.  As this happens, however, the true greats of the chillwave movement will stand, and continue to release amazing work.  Not the least of these is Toro y Moi, whose talent will continue to seduce fans in both the indie and electronic genres.  Soon enough, hundreds of chillwave artists, as well as the name chillwave, will be nothing but an urban memory, but the work of Chazwick Bundick will not.