Labels: Waaga Records
Review by: Andy Malcolm
The first song is actually a bit misleading here. If you ever judge records based on the first 30 seconds of the first track, then this one will misrepresent Pandit entirely. “Pack Your Bags” sounds like meandering, late night Americana with a touch of post rock thrown in. So there I was, expecting a fairly drab album as this song did little to inspire any intrigue in what was to come. I almost packed my bags right there to be honest. Fortunately, Pandit shows that he is much more capable when it comes to woozy dream pop of the variety perpetuated by such giants as Washed Out. Of course, you may accuse them of band wagon hopping, but over the duration of the 10 tracks here they do at least prove they can make a decent record. Music like this sounds like the sort of thing I like playing in GTA4 when cruising aimlessly around Liberty City at 4am, no real plan, no mission to complete, just driving. Just driving. Basic beats, aired out vocals and shoegaze filtered through electronica. When the album gets away from this template, is when it falls down. The slightly more experimental “The Midi Orchestration” is eminently skippable, proving Pandit is better at writing pop music than experimental pieces, with its muddled samples and clunky guitar.
“Eternity Spin” is kind of disposable I suppose, as soothing background music, but it certainly has it’s place. If you aren’t burned out on music of this nature, then Pandit will certainly give you some moments of goodness. Then again, the Washed Out LP is due out next month…