Wednesday, March 24th, 2010

TORO Y MOI – Causers of This

reviewed by Jeffrey Jenkins

If you are already tired of the newly drafted “chillwave” genre, that imagined sound that includes electronic acts like Neon Indian, Washed Out, and an increasing number of bedroom composers posting their works on the Internet, you are certainly not alone. I don’t think anyone feels we need another made-up genre with which to pigeonhole bands and create undue fly by night hype. Toro y Moi, a South Carolinian artist who’s real name is Chaz Bundick, has come up alongside other ethereal electro-pop acts and effectively moved beyond simple hazy nostalgia and distortion. Reverb-heavy guitar echoes signal the opening track “Blessa,” an underwater trip-out reminiscent of the synth-pop of a long-forgotten video from the eighties. The jaw-dropping triple threat of “Blessa,” “Minors,” and “Imprint After” that open up Causers of This manage to crash and bleed into each other and yet each remains distinct and surprisingly catchy.

The album submerges here and there into a kind of murky electronic fuzz, especially in the middle portion, as Chaz Bundick tinkers with waves of tape hiss, drum machines, and guitar loops. Suddenly, though, the energy resurfaces with “Talamak,” a sun-drenched pop song featuring distant and distorted vocals and electro funk. Precise and upbeat, “Talamak” features gorgeous melodies that, unless we do something about it, will most certainly be heard in a commercial for cheap beer or a cell phone in the near future. The streak continues through to the close of the album, the title track “Causers of This,” a throwback to early nineties new jack swing, when Michael Jordan was king of the court and people still wore British Knights without irony.

The truth is, Toro y Moi balances the fine line between style and substance- from the aquatic sound throughout the whole album, to the faded cover art, he has created something timeless. If you have listened to the other “lo-fi” artists that have been getting play recently, and have yet to check out Toro y Moi, do yourself a favor and give Causers of This a listen. It’s an album for the morning after, the lazy afternoon, or the quiet night, a record that plays off of your own memories and allows you to sink into a comfortable, far away place that may or may not have ever existed.

(Car Park Records, PO Box 42374, Washington, DC 20015)