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Apr 26, 2012 Web Exclusive By Laura Studarus

As evidenced by June 2009—a collection of early recordings now finding a proper release—Toro Y Moi’s Chaz Bundick didn’t spring fully formed from the head of Zeus. While his brainwaves would go on to launch a sea of chillwave thought pieces, early songs showed an artist more interested in Ariel Pink-style experimentation than the retro-tinged dance pop he’d come to embrace. The pleasant surprise? Even in his formative years of four-track bedroom recordings, Bundick displayed an innate charm and low-key charisma. Guess some things don’t change.

With 10 tracks clocking in at a shade under a half hour, the album is aimed squarely at preexisting fans curious to see the band’s progression. Listening to the collection outside of that mental framework reveals an album that, while pleasant, never seems completely realized—save a few select tracks. There are, though, a few songs worth placing on repeat. Perhaps one of the most realized tracks on the album, “Take the L to Leave” finds Bundick blending found sounds with lo-fi, AM Gold riffs. On “New Loved Ones,” Bundick successfully tackles a melancholy ballad using only voice and guitar. Fun departures, all of them, but the greatest evidence of the musician Bundick would go on to become is the inclusion of “Talamak”—a track that would later be gussied up for the first proper release, Causers of This. A seasick take with vocals buried deep in the mix, the song—like Toro Y Moi’s catalogue as a whole—would make a huge leap forward with Bundick’s decision to put himself—not funky drum machines or radio static—front and center. (www.toroymoi.com)

Author rating: 6/10