One of my favorite albums of the year was Animal Collective’s Strawberry Jam. Yet, I had no interest in band member Panda Bear’s solo album until all the year-end lists began to accumulate in my Google Reader box. The best explanation for this is a series of disappointing Frog Eyes purchases following my addiction to Wolf Parade.
Thankfully, I got over my fears and asked my sister to get me Person Pitch for Christmas.

I had been told it sounded like “if Brian Wilson didn’t lose it and stop making music, but just kind of teetered there on the edge for a few years and kept taking heavier drugs.” With this in mind I put the album on and laid on my bed.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

“Comfy In Nautica”— Panda Bear— Person Pitch
Still unfamiliar with the sequencing, I didn’t know when the last track was over. Imagine my surprise when “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” began to play.

At first I thought it was a little nod from the music gods, a reward for careful listening. After the song was over though, Agent Scully made me look for a logical explanation. Turns out, I was playing my albums in alphabetical order and Pet Sounds comes right after Person Pitch.

Mulder and I still think it was pretty magical.

Happy New Year. Tomorrow will bring a streamlined

Daily Listen®