For those of you who are not familiar with Toro Y Moi, or his other stage name, Chaz Bundick, he’s an artist/producer who’s been active since 2008, but his music began to become popular between 2010 and 2011 during the chillwave movement.
I’m not a huge Toro Y Moi fan, but a friend of mine insisted that this was a really great album, so I gave it a try.
All of Toro Y Moi’s albums move in different directions. Each album is inspired by a different genre of music. “What For?” used more instruments and fewer digital effects. A majority of songs on the album were similar to 1960s psychedelic rock.
There’s a great pace throughout the album, and the opening track puts you in the mood for the rest of it. Track two, “Buffalo,” is a great hook for the album. It’s upbeat and funky, but has a laidback feel.
“The Flight” is a slow-paced track that acts as a cushion between “Buffalo” and the most notable track, “Empty Nesters,” a faster-paced song. “Empty Nesters” has a really dreamy feel. The hook to the song feels like you’re going in and out of a daydream. It’s really funky in a good way.
“Buffalo,” “Run Baby Run,” and “Empty Nesters” are the best tracks on the album, with “Empty Nesters” being the best of the three. The other songs are okay, but sound generic and are fairly forgettable.
“Buffalo” and “Empty Nesters” were chosen to be released as singles before the album’s release, so the producers knew the songs would be hits among Toro Y Moi fans. These songs are a similar genre to what Toro Y Moi is known for, so it is understandable why these songs are of higher quality. “Empty Nesters” shows this a lot more, but “Buffalo” does still have some of the qualities that TYM is known for.
The album has two good exit tracks. “Run Baby Run” is a great song that fits in well with the style of the rest of the album, but it is a bit catchier than most of the other songs. The exit song, “Yeah Right,” is a nice closing song. It is peaceful and allows the album to close smoothly, which makes it easy to play the album on repeat.
Overall, this album would be a great place for anyone who might be interested in listening to TYM’s music to start. The album would make good road trip music, and it is worth a listen if you want to discover the world of chillwave.
