The Austin Psych Festival went down last week and all reports back to me mentioned The Vacant Lots. The band hails from Vermont and have a sound that, good as it may be coming through computer speakers, must be experienced live. Until then, you’ll have to make do with digital audio/video.

MP3: The Vacant Lots – “Confusion”
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Buy: The Vacant Lots – Hypnotized

By Kyle Shaffer

“Know you can count on me.” So Noah Lennox’s latest musical venture under moniker Panda Bear begins. It’s a proclamation, and you believe him right off the bat. There’s a gamble in starting a record with such a commitment, especially when the recipient demographic has such a penchant for the ironic. But despite the somewhat postmodern nexus out of which Tomboy emerges, it’s somehow sincere and approachable, containing some moments that are deep and some that are just downright fun.

Lennox’s vocals are instantly recognizable for fans of both his past solo efforts and his work with Animal Collective. He flings his splatty vowels all over the record, utilizing his melodies as another instrument as opposed to a vehicle for conveying semantic meaning. He gets under the rational, linear parts of his listeners and gets them to feel, whether through beat-heavy tunes like “Slow Motion” or the positively celebratory clamor of “Surfers Hymn.” That tactile, almost physical, aspect to the record oozes as a byproduct of Lennox’s utilization of repetition, never shying away from parts that effortlessly carve their way through the noisy, shifting canopy of these songs.

The Zen-like insistence of “Drone” departs from the more rhythmic themes of the rest of the record, but retains a cohesiveness with the other tracks. It’s probably the most meditative and beautiful part of the album, acting as an invitation into some kind of aural monastery enveloping its devotees in buzzing organ and synthesizers. “Alsatian Darn” exhibits a playful bounce that partially belies some of the more earnest, reflective lyrics near the end of the track—“Say, can I make a bad mistake? Say what it is I want to say. Say what.”

The funky, seven-minute swirl of “Afterburner” along with spacey closer “Benfica” are too strong to warrant skipping and round out a release that pits the dancey against the contemplative. And like most of Lennox’s work, he makes you forget about the apparent difficulty of the process, instead pushing you to get immersed in the result. Tomboy is like that—a charismatic, encouraging friend who stops over, talking and keeping you up way past your bedtime. We’re all just lucky enough to have Panda Bear documenting those moments, reminding us of the sounds that tell us it’s worth it, to go for it.

Buy: Panda Bear – Tomboy

By Tyler Fassnacht

Zola Jesus, the brainchild of Nika Roza Danilova, has become an increasingly familiar name. In the last two years Danilova has gone from being a UW Madison student releasing lo-fi goth gems on the side to making headlines at nationally recognized publications like Pitchfork and NME with her haunting, yet melodic anthems. Riding on her burgeoning popularity, Danilova basically played a hometown show (She was raised up north in Merrill, WI) here in Madison at the High Noon Saloon as part of her current national tour. Even though the venue didn’t really fill up until Zola Jesus hit the stage, it was still endearing, like a parent at a child’s really awesome indie piano recital, seeing the band come back as a professional touring group. Just like how Garbage isn’t really considered a Madison band anymore, Zola Jesus has definitely shed any tag reminiscent of “local.”

Coming to the show a bit late, I was only able to catch the last two songs from second opener, Wet Hair. Just from the small sample I witnessed, I was actually fairly disappointed I missed them. With thick organs, a really tight drummer and a vocalist who sang in a deep groan and howl similar to Brad Hargett of Crystal Stilts, they played modern Doors-esque music, that definitely perked my interest.

Up next was Naked on the Vague, which thankfully sounded better than their name. With emphasis on locking into dark, droning, psychedelic grooves the band set a mood that was pretty different from the other music on the bill. The female singer sang in a low pitch that buzzed around notes rather than hitting them exactly. I think Naked on the Vague would do well playing with bands like the Black Angels, but with a group like Zola Jesus, where it is so based off of melodies, hooks and the charisma and persona of one person (i.e. Nika Roza Danilova), it seemed a bit distant and at times uninteresting in comparison. But then again, it is extremely hard to stand out when put up against the power house that is Danilova.

Taking the stage draped in a blood red cloak, Danilova (who can’t be taller than five feet), had the presence of a giant. Without saying much, her and the rest of Zola Jesus, dressed all in black, jumped right into “Trust Me” off of last year’s excellent Stridulum EP and then, giving the crowd barely enough time to applaud, played the powerful, yet catchy, “I Can’t Stand.” This set the theme for the rest of the performance. After she was onstage, the soft-spoken, seemingly shy Danilova turned into a commanding force that is there to do one thing: perform.

Playing mostly cuts off of her Stridulum and Valusia EPs, Danilova paced back and forth on stage, prowling about like an animal stalking prey. Besides the beautiful and chilling songs, half of the enjoyment is simply watching her wail and thrash about, giving all her tracks stronger emotion than I think is possible to record on an album. Besides during one point when she jumped into the crowd and ran to the back of the venue, up the stairs and onto the balcony, Danilova rarely acknowledged or even addressed (besides the occasional “thank you”) the people in the audience, which put all the weight on her songs, but everything they played was strong enough to do so with three keyboards creating dense and lush sounds, a monster behind a live drum kit and most importantly Danilova’s incredible, classically trained voice. By the end of the night the only disappointing thing was that Zola Jesus only played for about 40 minutes. Even though the venue wasn’t too packed, it still was a step up from last year’s crowded EP release show at the Project Lodge. I wouldn’t be surprised to see her name on bigger and bigger marquees in the years to come if she continues down her current path; I just hope she doesn’t forget us here in Madison.

Watch: Zola Jesus Soundcheck Session in Madison

Buy: Zola Jesus – Stridulum