As if I wasn’t hesitant enough already to write about music, a month-long detour into David Bowie basically cemented the fact that I wouldn’t be doing any music reviews from the first quarter of the year. That’s a shame, because I’ve actually listened to a few really great albums, and not all of them are MBV. So, in the hopes of avoiding another end of the year orgy of album posts, I thought I’d check in now. Or, at the very least, write about Wondrous Bughouse, the new Youth Lagoon album, because it is a real joy.
You guys tell me: is this psychedelic pop or dream pop? Genres are hard. If I were to describe Youth Lagoon’s sound, or at least Wondrous Bughouse‘s, I would use words like “dazzling,” “happy,” and maybe even crib one from the title – “wondrous.” I absolutely get good vibes from this album, the ones I’ve come to expect from bands like The Flaming Lips and Beach House, but not necessarily from some guy from Idaho… It just goes to show you, never count out the potatoest state.
I will say this album is the first in a long time that has me questioning track order. “Through Mind and Back” leads beautifully into what has to be the breakout song of the album, “Mute” but that is followed by “Attic Doctor,” a goofy song that totally kills the good thing he had going. Not that I don’t like “Attic Doctor” on its own, it’s just too much of a tonal shift for me. Is it weird that I gravitate so much toward comedy on TV and in movies, but I don’t really care for comedy music? I Wondrous Bughose why that is?
Favorite Tracks: “Mute,” “The Bath,” “Dropla”