Lorna Irvine greatly enjoys the latest by Noah Lennox.
Noah Lennox, floppy haired frontman of Animal Collective, has just released his fifth solo album, and it's probably the most vulnerable he's ever sounded, dealing as he does with death and loneliness.
As with AC, there is much of the signature psych textures and wind tunnel vocals, barely there.
'Boys Latin' is a skewed funk with a chopped-up vocal, but 'Mr Noah' is truly disturbing, like Lennox got caught in a headlock by Richard D James--the synths churn, murkily, suggesting Lennox's head is not a happy place to be.
But as he is dealing with the big D, it's only to be expected. Perhaps the coming to terms with grief track then, is epic 'Tropic of Cancer' all looping harps and Lennox's angelic voice. It's like the best song The Beach Boys never wrote. Initially beatific, the key change is heart-breaking. "You can't come back/you won't come back" he sighs.
Yet for all the catharsis, this is an album to return to-particularly on summer days with a glass of wine.
To watch Panda Bear’s ‘Boys Latin’ click here.
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