Sinister Grift by Panda Bear

The Feature Album this week on 2SER is Sinister Grift, the new album from Panda Bear.

Words by Josh Ray

There are a few superlatives you can throw the way of Sinister Grift as it sits within Panda Bear’s discography, as well as more broadly in the yet-unofficial Animal Collective Sonic Universe (“ACSU”). 

First, it’s comfortably the most accessible of Noah Lennox’s solo records under the Panda Bear moniker to date. It also wouldn’t be crazy to call it the most accessible of any album within the ACSU. Lennox’s commitment to experimentation on previous albums have at times overshadowed his recognition as a gifted songwriter, and Sinister Grift’s melodic clarity puts his pop sensibilities on centre stage. Second single ‘Ferry Lady’, characterised by fluttering melodies and dub-effected rhythms, has not left my head since I first heard it a few months ago (for good reason).

Sonically, despite the name, Sinister Grift stands as the Panda Bear’s most blissed out and “beachy” project yet. This is especially the case on side A, such as on the track ‘50mg’, whose watery guitars establish the song as an apt lazy river jam. ‘Just As Well’ is a straight up bop, the kind of thing you would play while riding a bike along the coast on a nice day, waving to everyone who passes you irrespective of whether they seem as though they’ll wave back. The same can’t be totally said for the record’s lyrical content – ‘50mg’ perhaps is emblematic of schisms between the sound and the words – with Lennox toeing the line between bliss and despair in the track’s bridge. 

Most importantly, however, is that Sinister Grift serves as Panda Bear’s greatest celebration of the power of friendship. Lennox is already known for having a bunch of cool friends, having collaborated with the likes of Daft Punk, Solange and Dean Blunt. His most recent Panda Bear record saw him collaborate with former Spaceman 3 member Sonic Boom, which itself spawned two more collaborative projects in the form of dub and Mariachi remix LPs and EPs.

Given the prolific nature of Animal Collective and it’s constituents, it may be hard to believe that Sinister Grift is the first of any of the four Animal Collective’s solo albums to feature every single other member as a collaborator. Isn’t that beautiful? Avey Tare, Geologist and Deakin all played different roles in varying capacities both in and out of the recording booth, with some tracks serving as near de facto AnCo songs (‘Ends Meet’ ticks three of the four members).

It doesn’t end there, however. ‘Ends Meet’ also features backing vocals from Spirit of the Beehive’s Rivka Ravede, now Lennox’s partner. Ravede is also credited for the album’s cover art, as she is for Beehive’s previous two albums. Even Lennox’s daughter Radja is credited, contributing vocals and writing on ‘Anywhere But Here’.

Sinister Grift’s closing track, ‘Defence’, features the unmistakable shrill and skill of Cindy Lee’s lead guitar, lending itself to the track’s foundation and a solo that would have fit seamlessly on last year’s 32-track double album Diamond Jubilee. Lyrically, the courtroom context of ‘Defence’ could be read literally or allegorically, but there’s little doubt that Lennox is musing on the importance of company and connection. I’d have a hard time contemplating that placing this as the closing track for an album which features so many close friends and family members, as well as lyrical themes of self-doubt and anxiety, wasn’t a conscious choice.

Sinister Grift is out now on Domino Records.