Youth Lagoon - Wondrous Bughouse

Oh boy.  This one is exciting.  I hope you all have had a chance to listen to Youth Lagoon's 2011 album, The Year of Hibernation.  The album is a sleepy, minimalist hug, that fits perfectly for any rainy afternoon.  Even though it explores topics of mental distress, it remains quiet and comforting all the way through.  In some spots it may also feel like it needs you to hug it back, especially when Trevor Powers quietly croaks "You make real friends quickly, but not me." on the opening track "Posters."  The album felt so friendly, it disappointed me greatly that it was only 35 minutes long, but now Youth Lagoon is back! and is he ever.

The first thing I noticed on Wondrous Bughouse, is that the comforting, careful ambiance is gone.  We have been thrown into a fuzzy , wild, unpredictable dimension of experimental dream pop and noise.  Someone must have given poor sweet Trevor Powers drugs...lots of drugs.

A Wondrous Bughouse Indeed

This new album is a very bold move from Youth Lagoon.  He has moved in a direction that I did not expect at all, the songs, and the whole album, are longer(almost 50 minutes), the tone is much brighter, the effects are heavier, and the song structures are much looser and more experimental.  It really reminds of the decision   that MGMT made on their sophomore LP Congratulations.  Rather than produce another accessible record in the same style, Youth Lagoon has decided to get more psychedelic and really see how far the rabbit hole goes.

And Boy Does It Go

 It definitely seems like a much more intuitive exploration of various mental states, than The Year of Hibernation, especially thanks to the more experimental song structures.  The first song that really grabbed me in this respect was the track "Attic Doctor", the song has this tipsy melody and a strange rhythm that makes it turn back in on itself like a snake, or a caterpillar.  Also, the intro,"Through Mind and Back", has this dissonant and hazy, droopy quality where it sounds like music were used to from Youth Lagoon is bubbling and melting away.  It sets the tone perfectly.

This droopy warbling sound is definitely a centerpiece on this album, and I absolutely love how the track "Mute" uses it in the keys to make it sound like some kind of broken carnival game.  This same tripped out carnival fun-house also makes an appearance in the song "Third Dystopia," but the picture is more painted by the wacky percussion here than anything else.  It also features nicely on the song "Sleep Paralysis" which wilts away slowly before turning into a introspective psychedelic waltz.

Make Sure to Dress Appropriately

Of course if all these fuzzy, rippling effects are too much for you, there are remnants of Youth Lagoon's older style, like in the songs "Raspberry Cane," "The Bath," and "Dropla."  All three of which have nice straightforward builds that were explored greatly on The Year of Hibernation.  They still differ from his earlier approach though, in that they are brighter, louder, and far more distorted.  Actually, if I had to point out one thing I did not like about this album, it's that the loud effects and distortion on these songs make it nearly impossible to discern the lyrics.  It can be uncomfortable and overpowering, but in most places it adds a hazy and watery lens through which to view this golden afternoon.

Discussion!

• Is this new album too much of a change in mood from The Year of Hibernation for you to still connect with Youth Lagoon's music?
• Do the effects obscure more than they reveal? Does what they communicate about the atmosphere come at the expense of connecting to the lyrics?
• Does Trevor Power's voice fit nicely with the other instrumentation? or is it too easily overpowered by the bright noisy, synths and keys?

Let me know what you think in the comments!