Grade: B
Verdict: A dream pop/chillwave road trip that goes about everywhere but never lingers in one place long enough to become attached
Youth Lagoon AKA California native Trevor Powers (aka yet another one man indie pop outfit with a keyboard) gained more than he should have for his debut album in 2011 (The Year Of Hibernation).
It was a nice enough sounding debut but in a world where anyone can now record an album of material by twirling a few dials and hitting a few buttons, you have to do a whole lot more to stand out. And Youth Lagoon just got lost in the shuffle of all the countless other bands in the dream pop/chillwave movement that the underground music scene seems to have fallen in love with lately. “The Year Of Hibernation” sounded like a good psychedelic, dream pop haze but was ultimately forgettable. There are only so many beach themed chillwave synth one can be expected to take if you’re actually listening to the music (which I suspect many fans from this genre don’t. They’re far too busy”feeling”). But Youth Lagoon’s sophomore attempt, “Wondrous Bughouse”, comes as a pleasant surprise and proves that Powers may have some originality in him yet.
The album opener “Through Mind And Black” sets the tone right out of the gate for a much more experimental affair. While “Hibernation” was content to mull around in the same droning beach hum, “Bughouse” opts to take you straight to the edge of space. The opening track is an eerie, disquieting intro complete with an ever-present deathly hum and faded beeping. Youth Lagoon plays with the space theme for a bit, combing lush sounding melodies with a wave of howling space drone but that’s only one of the far out terrains Youth Lagoon takes you. Each song brings in it’s own texture and transports you to a new place. From the sci-fi landscapes at the beginning of the album, to a demented carnival with “Attic Doctor”, to a windswept desolate plain with “The Path”, to what sounds like the set of a trippy Christmas special in “Dropla” (the effect is slightly offset by the repeated chorus of “You’ll never die”).
If it sounds like the album’s all over the place that’s because it is. And this is both it’s biggest strength and weakness. On one hand each track offers a wholly different blend of sounds and Powers demonstrates a good ear for experimentation and melody. On the other hand there’s almost no real theme to be found. As soon as a song feels like it’s dragging (which happens more then it should) another new gimmick enters the fray as a last minute bid to grab your attention. Youth Lagoon throws everything but the kitchen sink into each song; form pianos, strings, an organ grinder, space static, or an echoey drum. There are a few too many ideas running rampant and no cohesion to hold them together.
‘”Wondrous Bughouse” is a step in the right direction for Youth Lagoon and proves that he isn’t just some hack burying his music in ambient haze to make up for the fact it doesn’t sound original. It does sound original but he’s going to have to turn down the ADHD if he’s hoping to sound memorable one day.
