Chillwavin'

So chillwave has come up as a source of some contention in this space before. I hopped on that bandwagon real hard back in the summer of 2009, but with the full realization that it was likely little more than a fad that would end quickly. Indeed, after a time Neon Indian began to chafe the ears, even if I did roll out to a Washed Out show in Philly with fellow BZNZman TK. All along, Toro Y Moi was probably the cream of the chillwave crop, with tracks like "Blessa" making the Muddog Millionaire's top tracks of 2011.

Toro Y Moi is back with another LP, the well-crafted and multi-dimensional Underneath The Pine, giving surprising longevity to a fad subgenre. The oddly charismatic Chazwick Bundick is the man behind these tunes, a dude from Columbia, South Carolina. For this second LP, Toro Y Moi restrains some of the crazy synths and super echoed vocals on archetypal chillwave tracks like "Low Shoulder", in favor of more straightforward songwriting and lyricism, with a much more "natural" sound, for lack of a better description.

At times Chaz's falsetto starts to nearly evoke The Beach Boys, and at others, some sort of alternate world lounge jams. "Still Sound" is just a great track, with a funky bassline, great keyboard lines, and just enough echoey vocals without getting carried away. "New Beat" as well would be at home on any disco dancefloor, a true rump shaker. The instrumental "Divina" has a proggy sound that almost sounds like a distant cousin of a track off Dark Side of the Moon. The (gasp) acoustic guitars on "Before I'm Done" make for a smooth little track, indeed.

In this interview with At The Sinema, in which Chaz mentions his influences include Weezer (wtf?) he had this to say about the almost accidental evolution of chillwave:

"I’ve kinda gotten past that sound. All that stuff is really good music, like Ernest Green (Washed Out) and Neon Indian. I’m a big fan of all of that, but I think that was just a small little period where we all were, coincidentally."

With Underneath The Pine, has the term chillwave outlasted it's utility? Not sure. Maybe as Chaz branches out with his house and Italo disco side project Les Sins and gets past the chillwave stigma, we can see where this shit is goin', but for now Underneath the Pine is a pleasant album, with sounds of spring just around the corner.

Toro Y Moi "New Beat" by carparkrecords

Stream the whole album, courtesy of Urban Outfitters