Welcome to the latest edition of Pitchfork's Guest List. Each week, we ask one of our favorite artists to fill us in on what they've been up to lately: which tracks they can't stop spinning, what books they can't put down, and what new bands they've caught on tour. This week it's Panda Bear's Noah Lennox, who gives us the dish on the hottest kids shows on YouTube, explains the differences between American and Brazilian soap operas, and fondly recalls his Animal Collective days stupefying the sound guys at Mercury Lounge.
__ >> Favorite Songs of the Past Year __
I don't listen to much music even though I like music a lot. Or I'm not the kind of person who listens to music at home kind of gradually throughout the day, I should say. I feel like the music I've really heard enough to have any kind of relationship with recently, I've come to through odd sources. Odder, I guess, than having gone to a record shop and having bought some records.
J. Dilla: * Donuts *
By far the album I've listened to most over the past year, and I feel like almost any of the songs off there I could say is my favorite. Dave from Animal Collective played some jams off it one night when I'd just gotten back in town (from NYC), and although it took me a second to get into the pace of it (it's hectic sometimes), I've really liked it ever since then. And I feel like I can feel where he was coming from when he made it, and I like that about it. I was really out of it (jet lag and too much beer) that night when I first heard it, and first impressions with music are lasting for me.
Pigloo: "Le Papa Pingouin"
My kid Nadja gets into music videos on YouTube, so sometimes well have a little session with that, especially if she's in crank-town, mostly because its a good way of calming her down. The songs she gets real into usually have animation going on ("Dexter's Laboratory", "Pocoyo", "Patinho Duck") and typically involve babies or little kids. One of those is Bebe Lily, and I can really get down with some of those jams. This kind of thing (Crazy Frog, Le Petit Fleur, Ilona Mitrecey) seems really popular, at least over here (EU), and I like most of it, although the Crazy Frog isn't my favorite. The Pigloo ones, especially "Le Papa Pingouin", and Ilona Mitrecey I really like a lot. I feel like these songs make millions of kids really psyched. I'd be happy if I could do that.
Excepter: "Rockstepper"
I like that song a whole lot, and I like their album * Alternation * a lot too. It's one of only a few things I can say I heard well in a while, but I'd owe it mostly to circumstances having changed quite a bit for me in the last year or so. Like, it's my fault, it's not that music is crappy right now or anything like that.
__ >> Favorite Older Songs at the Moment __
One of my favorite places to listen to music-- at least it's the place I hear music the most (other than on tour)-- is the Fnac [store]. It's a French chain, like a Virgin Megastore, which is the place I used to hear the most music in NYC (besides work) when I was living there. The Virgin Megastore on Broadway ripped, because it had like 60 listening stations; the fnac has maybe 18, if you include the jazz and classical sections.
Wham!: "Everything She Wants"
One time recently I was listening to a bunch of things that had just come out, and I finished it off with the George Michael singles compilation [ * Twentyfive * ]. There's a bunch of good Wham! jams on there, and the song "Everything She Wants" since then I've been singing in my head all the time. I really liked his last album, * Patience * . The song "Amazing" was my favorite of that year.
The Zombies: "Leave Me Be"
For sure one of my favourite songs ever, although I don't care for the guitar-y rocking part three-fourths through the song. But that's a matter of attitude I guess.
The Police: "Wrapped Around Your Finger" / "Voices Inside My Head"
I went to a summer camp called Camp Mondamin in North Carolina for a few summers as my father was working for a bit as a camp doctor down there. The thing I remember best about it, and the thing that I remember all the rest of it through, is Police songs. It's weird because I don't remember sitting in front of speakers and hearing their songs. But I suppose they were really popular at the time, and I do remember walking on a dirt trail by the lake, hearing the songs coming out of bunks situated along the shore. And when I hear Police songs now, that's what I immediately start thinking about. I could say that the Police are my favorite band, but it's mostly because of this. They remind me of my brother, too. If I had to choose a favorite Police song right now I'd say "Wrapped Around Your Finger" or "Voices Inside My Head".
__ >> Favorite New Band __
4Taste
That's difficult for me, but mostly because I feel like I don't know anything about anything right now. I was speaking with someone recently about commercials and about one I was really into (the Chanel advertisement with Nicole Kidman and the Brazilian guy where they shrink a fake movie down to 25 seconds), and we began talking how we both thought it was best to judge something taking into account what we figured the thing was going for or expecting to be. The ad seemed to me a perfect job of goal and application (I certainly couldn't make 25 seconds feel like 2 hours).
In this respect I feel like I could say a band called 4Taste are one of my favorite new bands. They're a Portuguese boy band who formed out of a soap opera they have there. It's a show intended for teenagers called "Morangos com Açúcar" ("Strawberries With Sugar"). It's pretty good, but the band rip, and I like all the songs I've heard (I don't think the band members write them, I should say, but I'm not sure about that). That's not to take away from them at all, because I feel like they're doing exactly what they want to do, and they're doing it really well, and I think that's awesome.
__ >> Favorite Song Ever __
As I imagine a lot of people might say, my favorite song changes all the time, and it's hard to say. When I was in high school I had an Astrud Gilberto compilation, which had her singing mostly Tom Jobim songs, I think. I've listened more to that CD than anything else in my life, so I guess I know those songs better than anything else, except for things that are hardwired, like kids' songs and national anthems and those kind of really common, everywhere songs. But the Gilberto jams are close to that for me, I would say. I like how relaxed and casual they feel and make me feel. I'd say that a lot of my sensibilities about music came from listening to music like this. Maybe that and choir singing (high school again) are the biggest two shapers of my musical tendencies.
I listened to a lot of radio back then, too. More than I listened to albums. Mostly top 40 radio (this is around 1993), and there was one classic rock station I listened to all the time. And I lived right near Philadelphia, so I listened to all the sports games (football, baseball, hockey and basketball) and on weekends, the talk radio on WIP. I lived with a Dutch\Polish family (while at boarding school) who were awesome, but I think they thought I was a little strange with my headphones on all the time. I think they thought it was a little unhealthy, and I can see where they were coming from on that.
__ >> Best Recent Show __
Daft Punk at Coachella
Definitely my favorite show recently-- and ever, probably. I like their music a lot, but I wasn't expecting anything (not in a bad way) that night. I was more curious than anything else. We were way in the back of the (huge) tent, but it still sounded amazing, and the bass was really tight like in a good dance club, and that seemed impossible for how big the thing was and how far back we were. The setup was epic, and the whole thing was set up in the shape of a triangle. They showed a big screen of them closer up for those of us way at the back, but you couldn't see their hands, so it was just these two guys dressed in cool future-suits bouncing softly and pumping their helmets. It looked really, really awesome, and it got me excited: The way they looked, the way the songs moved, and everything just totally ripped.
__ >> Last Great Film I Saw __
- Blazing Saddles *
I was about to go to bed late one night, but then * Blazing Saddles * came on and I was like, "Wait a sec." It was a lot weirder than I remembered, and I just kept thinking how good it was. There's a lot of silly (I cant think of a better word than that) jokes and stuff in there, and that wasn't even what I got most psyched on. Where was the main guy [ * Cleavon Little-- Ed. * ] from? I don't know if I've ever seen him in anything else, but I liked his part the most. His acting style at least in that movie is crazy.
I have a difficult time watching anything scary or really shocking visually, and I know that makes me sound like a weakling, but it's not really like that. I'll watch it if I don't have a choice, but if I do I probably won't. I get nightmares and things like that, and usually I don't remember my dreams (I've been trying), but I always remember the dark, nightmarish ones. My brother is actually similar in a way, so maybe it's in my blood. Although he's more down with the action (Bruce Willis) jams, and I steer the other way towards things like * Dazed and Confused * and * You've Got Mail * . I can get into things like * The Shining * (the other Animal Collective guys love it), but it's just not something I'd watch on a weekend to get psyched.
__ >> Last Great Book I Read __
Alexandre Dumas: * The Count of Monte Cristo *
I was at Heathrow, and knew I was going to have a really long flight (to Australia), and I was growing a little tired of * Seven Pillars of Wisdom * , or I just wasn't in that headspace at the moment, so I looked around the bookstore at the bigger things they had on the shelves. I found a copy of * The Count of Monte Cristo * , and Josh from Animal Collective particularly had recommended it to me, and it was large so I picked it up. I hesitated for a second thinking the kid at the desk would hassle me about the size, but I figured it was worth it because the book seemed like just the right thing at the time, and that's a deal breaker for me and airplanes. Sure enough the dude smirked (not in a mean way) and was like, "Got some time on your hands? Heehaa!"
Then I left the book on that plane underneath the seat and was really mad at myself for it, especially because it was such a big chunky thing. I was like, "How could I not have noticed it was there, because it was almost as big as my carry-on!" So I bought it at the airport bookstore on the way back (I was really pumped they had it), and it rips. I had a long and almost indignant conversation with my mom, because she was talking about this book telling the true story of someone who'd been through a lot of sordid things. My mom was into how honest the telling was, and although I admitted I liked and appreciated the honesty of it, I'd be more into reading something kind of the opposite: (hopefully) truthful accounts of something really noble. I don't mean this in any Boy Scout kind of way.
__ >> Favorite Piece of Musical Equipment __
Boss SP-303 "Dr. Sample"
I've been using the Boss SP-303 almost exclusively (besides drums) for three years or so now. I think it's about time to move on, at least focus-wise. But it's been my favorite thing to use without a doubt. I started using two because I liked the idea of being able to mix (DJ) songs that I would do on each of them. Plus I could separate samples and singing and affect them differently (they have onboard effects and a mic input). They're cheap, which is sweet, but it's also been a major hassle in that I've gone through four of them. The 404s look sweet, and Brian from the band has one and seems to be psyched on it, so maybe I'll go for two of those. I liked how the things led me into a new way of writing and performing, even though it was slow in coming. I have to say, I was inspired to use one when I read that Madlib used one. This was after * The Unseen * came out. I feel like it's only fair to mention him, as I wouldn't be using one if it weren't for him. I remember him saying, too, that they were simple, but if you worked a little you could get a lot out of them, and I'd say he's totally right.
__ >> Favorite Record Store __
Other Music, New York City
I worked at a record store called Other Music most of the time I lived in New York (four years or so). It's a pretty small shop downtown, and I only worked upstairs at a computer the whole time. I don't know that I really would have been much good at selling records or talking about them on the sales floor, as I feel I'm not super adept socially. I don't mean to say I'm reclusive or have a bad attitude towards strangers, but I think it's fair to say I'm not very outgoing. I remember a couple of times being thrust out there early in the morning when they were short-staffed, and it was like being shoved from a cage out into a ring of lions. Needless to say, I didn't speak or do much besides amble directionlessly around, and I was promptly (and justifiably, no doubt) sent upstairs to my desk.
There were (and still are, I'd guess) very different sorts of music people there, who were into lots of different music, and I really liked that about the place. And the owners were always really good to me and would cut me some slack if I needed it. Upstairs was a whole lot smaller than downstairs, and you had to sort of bend down to walk up there. So four or five of us would be up there, packed in working at our desks and listening to far out jams all day. It was pretty sweet, even though the inevitable banter (dirty talk, insults, mom jokes, that sort of thing) would kick in if one of us was in a bad mood or annoyed. I suppose any office is like that, though. There were often more productive conversations up there, I should say though, particularly if someone put on a fresh record.
I heard all kinds of music I feel like I never would have heard otherwise, and I met really awesome people there, and I'm really grateful to the place for that. Most all of them I'm still good friends with and hang out with whenever I go back, which is several times a year at this point.
__ >> Best Purchase of the Past Year __
Most of the time if one of my bros asks me what Lisbon is like, I tell them it's like a European California (with a lot more history, I guess, to be fair). It's really sunny and really laid back, and there's surfing all along the western (and pretty much only) coastline. Like most of California, the winter isn't snowy cold, but it can get chilly and almost no one has central heating (though richer families tend to), so the houses in the wintertime get uncomfortably cold.
It's not really a big deal, but after two winters feeling stupid wearing my jacket indoors, we finally got two little heater guys (like a more tech radiator) installed just the other day, and they've really made all the difference. They work on timers because electricity is way cheaper during the night than during the day, and like sauna rocks they stay warm when they're turned off. The first morning after we had the guy (Senhor Mario-- I called him "Super Mario" once behind his back and then felt really bad about it and didn't do it any more) install them, we woke up to a house without power and a powerful stench of burnt plastic. It turns out the electricity wasn't set up too well in our (really old) house, and the heaters had maxed out the system and melted the plastic casing covering the regulator in the hallway.
We were a little freaked out for a while, but after another guy (didn't introduce myself to this gentleman) came and installed a new regulator (or whatever those things are called), we relaxed a little about it. The burnt plastic smell is still around a little, but after opening the windows up a while (it's cold out there) it has faded a bit. And being able to eat dinner at the table without a jacket on rules, with or without the smell of burnt plastic.
__ >> Best Thing I Did in the Past Year __
Going out with (just) my girl has become a little rare, but not in a depressing way. We're just both often very busy, and that's good for anyone, I'd say. But after a night out with her, I feel really good and content and filled with feelings and thoughts that I don't often get otherwise-- products of good conversation, if I had to mark a source. Besides this, which is pretty regular or commonplace in character, the other thing I've done recently that stands out after thinking for a second is going snorkling with the dudes (from Animal Collective) in Australia. I'd never done it before, but Josh and Brian are certified divers, so it was no big deal to them. Dave, Chris (Sound) and I, and our tour manager (we missed you, Braddax!), Tim, were the snorklers, as none of us had taken the necessary tests or courses you need to dive legally. The water was really, really choppy, and the boat was super small, so it became a bit of a puke-fest for some of us after a while.
It would be hard for me to forget the feeling of jumping off the boat for the first time into the middle of the ocean. I'd compare it to what it might feel like to jump out of an airplane-- you just go out into nothing, whether it's the air or the water, I feel like its more or less the same sensation. It's terrifying, no doubt, but I got used to ignoring the fear after a second, and then you just get stoked about seeing what's down there, wondering if something larger than yourself is about to emerge from the fuzzy blue water six yards away from the clear and focused area you're drifting in.
__ >> Favorite Music Venue __
The Mercury Lounge, New York City
It's near the East Village downtown, and it's where Animal Collective would play a lot when we were just starting out in that city. It's not really big, but the sound was always really good there for a smaller place, and the feeling inside was always good. I saw Herbert there once, and it was really great. I suppose all kinds of things can sound good in there, and I think that speaks very well for the place. I remember I think the second or third show we were playing there, they were having a sort of residency for the Strokes-- they were playing there every Monday for a month. I wish I'd seen one of those shows, but I never saw them live until they were playing really big places (or festivals), but it was still ripping anyways.
The first time we played, the sound guy came up after our set (I think we played first, and there weren't many people there, so he didn't have a hard time making his way quickly to the stage after we finished) and had an almost indescribable look on his face. He was almost half-smiling or trying to smile, and slowly nodding his head like his body language was saying, "Yes" or "There you go," or something along those lines. I think in truth the look could only be called quizzical. I was happy with his reaction at the time, and I should say I'm proud of it now, too. Sound guys see all kinds of music and performances, so to really stun them and puzzle them is an achievement itself, I'd say. It wasn't disgust or outright dislike (because I'd say that's the easiest thing to do-- above that is doing something very banal well), but it certainly wasn't approval. It was more like, "So is that what you guys intended to do, or was that all a big mistake and a disaster? Because I really don't know."
Other places I like are the Bowery Ballroom in New York City, VoxHall in Aarhus (they have cable in the dressing rooms), and Newtown in Sydney. There are plenty of other sweet places to play; I just can't think of them right now.
__ >> Favorite TV Show at the Moment __
"Freaks and Geeks"
Josh (from Animal Collective) gave me the whole "Freaks and Geeks" set for Christmas, and we've been watching that pretty heavily. My mom got really into it, too, while she was here. I was expecting it to be kind of light-hearted high school shenanigans, but it's turning out to tackle some heavy stuff and really real stuff, and I'm into that.
My girl and I also watch a lot of soap operas, but Brazilian ones, and for those who only know American soaps, these are pretty different. If you know Mexican soaps, you're getting closer, but you'd still have to subtract the intense melodrama from them. There seems to be a way higher production value, too, even though it's obvious lots of times that they're shooting it all as they go-- kind of shooting from the hip a little. And they're weird-- like, really weird sometimes-- which gets me psyched. It's all a little (culture) shocking and hard to swallow at first, but once I got my mind around the fact that people are just different all over and have different tastes and ways of approaching things, I could get into it. I suppose I just had to start from the beginning with it to fully appreciate it.
There was "America," which was about Brazilian cowboy guys and a girl who goes to Miami (my favorite) and a whole lot else (the whole end was Tiao, the main cowboy guy, in a strange afterworld where he met his father and decided he didn't want to be dead and goes back). And there was a part of the storyline where Tiao was kind of facing the past of his father, in the form of a bull that he was going to ride in the rodeo. It was pretty sweet. The big rodeo scenes ripped.
Then, more recently, there were "Belissima" (about a big Brazilian fashion house and a tyrannical old businesswoman) and "Cobras e Lagartos" (about a really rich guy and his legacy, which gets stolen by a poor guy with the same name as his true heir). They were way more involved than I'm giving them credit for, but they're too much to get into here. But these comical, weird ones are usually my favorites. The Brazilians sometimes do more dramatic ones, too, but I'm not so into those, and they remind me a whole lot more of the American ones, which I never got into, and really just remind me of being sick and lying at home all day.
__ >> Favorite Video Game at the Moment __
"Ape Escape"
I'm dorky with video games. I game sometimes, no doubt. "Ape Escape," for the first Playstation, was a good one. The music on that one ruled, especially when you're there with the little guy in the space station loading saving space. I liked the colors and the worlds and that kind of thing, and it was fun running around netting little monkeys with sweet spacey drum and bass playing. I can get into sports games, too ("Pro Evolution Soccer 6"), and have for a long time (see Vince Vaughn in "The Breakup" to feel where I'm coming from).
__ >> Favorite Radio Program __
"A Prairie Home Companion", PRI
I haven't listened to too much radio since the classic rock of high school. But I do get really psyched whenever I hear "A Prairie Home Companion." It's really mellow and soothing and transportive, and those are the same qualities in music that I react to most strongly.
__ >> My Ringtone __
I'm not really into elaborate or intense phone rings, so I usually go for what is most unobtrusive and unobnoxious. The one I've got now sounds like an old telephone, and that works fine for me. I'd like to have something that's kind of soothing, but I wonder if I'd notice it. I guess that goes against the purpose of the ring, which is to be heard in the first place. Maybe those obnoxious rings are actually the most functional, but I still won't go with them. A lot of the time I don't pick up the phone, to be totally honest about it.
