STREAM: Toro Y Moi – Still Sound by forcefieldpr
Columbia, South Carolina’s Chaz Bundick (aka Toro Y Moi) rose to the fore of the music blogosphere in summer 2009 when he and a few peers made their hazy bedroom recordings the most talked-about sound of the season. Critics across the board took notice of the range of his compositions, and his debut album, Causers of This, showcased his ability to make elements of Brian Wilson’s pop, 80s R&B, and Stones Throw hip hop coalesce into a distinct sound that’s as suitable for a dance floor as it is a pair of headphones.
When Chaz first signed to Carpark Records, the plan was to release two records in 2010– one electronic and one with live instrumentation–and although it didn’t quite fit into the same calendar year as his debut, Underneath the Pine is that latter offering. This release sees him following the same creative urges to completely different ends. Having spent the year listening to film composers like Ennio Morricone and François de Roubaix, Bundick returned to his home in Columbia, the birthplace of many Toro tracks of yore, to bring his new ideas to fruition. The result of these sessions is an album evocative of R. Stevie Moore’s homespun ruminations, David Axelrod’s sonic scope, Steve Reich-ian piano phrasing, and the pervasive funk of his first record. Underneath the Pine announces a new phase for an artist whose talent defies classification.
TORO Y MOI
01/19 New York, NY Mercury Lounge *
03/11 Athens, GA 40 Watt
03/12 Atlanta, GA Drunken Unicorn
03/13 New Orleans, LA Circle Bar
03/14 Houston, TX Fitzgeralds
03/15 McAllen, TX M.P.M. Fest @ Ambiente
03/16 – 03/18 Austin, TX SXSW
03/19 Dallas, TX Club Dada
03/21 Tempe, AZ Sail Inn
03/22 Costa Mesa, CA Detroit Bar
03/23 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour
03/24 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
03/25 Portland, OR Doug Fir
03/26 Kennewick, WA The Red Room
03/27 Seattle, WA Crocodile
03/28 Vancouver, BC Biltmore
03/30 Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge
03/31 Denver, CO Larimer Lounge
04/01 Kansas City, MO Riot Room
04/02 Omaha, NE Slowdown Jr.
04/03 Minneapolis, MN 7th St. Entry
04/05 Chicago, IL Empty Bottle
04/06 Bloomington, IN The Bishop
04/07 Toronto, ONT Wrongbar
04/08 Montreal, PQ La Sala Rossa
04/09 Boston, MA Brighton Music Hall
04/12 Philadelphia, PA First Unitarian Church
04/13 Baltimore, MD Talking Head
04/14 Washington, DC Rock N Roll Hotel
04/15 Chapel Hill, NC Local 506
* = w/ Cloud Nothings
Toro Y Moi
Underneath The Pine
(Carpark)
Street Date: Feb. 22, 2011
1. Intro/Chi Chi
2. New Beat
3. Go with You
4. Divina
5. Before I’m Done
6. Got Blinded
7. How I Know
8. Light Black
9. Still Sound
10. Good Hold
11. Elise
TORO Y MOI LINKS:
Band Page: http://toroymoi.blogspot.com/
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/toroymoi
Press Materials: http://www.carparkrecords.com/toropresspage.html