“Rock n roll will never die”, Chaz Bundwick proclaims halfway through What For?, his latest for Carpark Records. That’s cute…wait…what? On paper you’d think this was tongue in cheek, especially if you know anything about Bundwick and his Toro y Moi project. Breaking out during the chillwave bubble of 2009/2010, Bundwick’s been a stalwart of the funky electronic music scene for the past five years, even releasing a full on house record under his Les Sins moniker last year. So you can forgive the casual listener for being somewhat shocked at what Toro y Moi’s latest has to offer: straight forward, lo-fi hippie dippie psych pop. Though he’s been touting around a touring band for some time now, What For? marks the official transition of Toro Y Moi from solo project to rock band. It may catch you off guard initially, but with some critical thinking, you probably could have seen it coming.
All of Toro y Moi’s albums have been attempts at viewing the same picture from different angles. The mood – warm, fuzzy, seriously chill – has been consistent since 2010’s Causers of This, but the approach taken to reach these moods is what varies from record to record. Causers of This was the prototypical chillwave record, all good vibes and lo-fi aesthetic. Underneath the Pine brought synthpop and funk into the mix. Toro’s last full length, Anything in Return, took an R&B and house-indebted turn, yet it felt like more than a mere stylistic shift to fit with the paradigm; it finally felt like an improvement as well. Bundwick’s strengths lie in his production chops, and Anything In Return is his finest display of them yet, a gorgeously engineered album that seamlessly patches together countless touchstones into a ceaseless, colourful groove. With the one-two punch of Anything In Return and Les Sins’ Michael, Bundwick positioned himself as one of the most talented producers in the game right now. Which is why What For?’s shift actually makes sense. Any artist worth their salt knows they have to challenge themselves to improve, and What For? sees Bundwick purposefully stripping himself of his greatest strength. He could have chosen any number of analog-based genres as the vehicle to this experiment, but he has trajectory to keep in mind. After tackling the chillwave version of chillwave, the funk version of chillwave and the R&B house version of chillwave, it was time to take on the chillwaviest chillwave of the them all: psych rock. The Grandaddy Genre of Good Vibes, if you will.
And he succeeds, for the most part. What For? is convincing enough, the whole thing sounding like the audio equivalent of the fisheye lens used in the “Empty Nesters” video. And the vibes? Oh boy. Impeccable. Let’s just say DC should consider this record an official soundtrack to their recent, uh, legislation. But as I’ve mentioned before, Bundwick’s strengths lie in his production. With nothing but pure songwriting to make an impression, this album falters. I’ve listened to What For? about half a dozen times now, yet aside from Beatles-baiting standout “Half Dome”, I couldn’t really tell you how any of the songs go. They just aren’t that memorable. On previous albums, especially Anything In Return, even if the melodies didn’t stick with you, there would be some interesting studio tricks that would. Devoid of these, What For? works well as a mood setter, but that’s about it.
Another way of saying What For? is Why?, and that is the question this record begs the most. I get why he would feel the need to challenge himself, especially after three albums that have only managed to achieve modest levels of success, but why rid himself of the very thing which makes him such an interesting artist to begin with? There are scores of psych rock bands out there who only know how to do that, and Bundwick is talented enough a producer that he could make just about any type of music that he’d like. But judging by the knowing smile he sports on the cover of What For? he has his reasons.
Ridiculous Made Up Genre of the Day: psych yacht
Rating: 3.5/5