Song of the Day: Panda Bear “Cranked”

Animal Collective member Panda Bear (aka Noah Lennox) embraces the solitude of solo recording on his latest full-length, the newly-released Buoys on Domino. Previous albums were exuberant, maximalist one-man flights of fancy, with layered harmonies, loops, and samples, best communed with over headphones. But the sound of Buoys is comparatively stripped-back and minimal, with an even greater emphasis on an intimate listening experience. “Cranked” is propelled by a spare arrangement of acoustic guitar and a reverberating echo of an electric drum. With its repeated refrain of “Why did I fly so high?” Lennox once again delivers the most beautiful and hopeful introspection this side of The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds.

At it again, skip to the end
Cut on the mend, it’s a wheel
Gift of the gab (Told you so)
Good with a bag (Gift of the gab)
Slave to the trap
And though we’re shook up
Counting tick tock
Skip to the beat
Get a part in the band
Heat in the heart
With the meat in your hand
Just takes a spark
Took a shine, took a stand
Just a little bit the other way
And then we’ll make a plan
And then
Kicking the can quick as I can
Did it again, eureka
Guy on the ropes (Yes, you can)
Don’t give up hopes (Start again)
Slip on the slopes
And though we’re messed up
Wounded and dressed up
Skip to the beat
Get the part in the band
Heat in the heart
With the meat in your hand
Just takes a spark
Took a shine, took a stand
Just a little bit the other way
And then we’ll make a plan
You think
Why did I fly so high?
Why did I fly so high?
Why did I fly so high?
Why did I fly so high?