Toro y Moi | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Toro y Moi was one of the first artists to be called chillwave due to the underwater, laid-back sounds of his 2009 single "Blessa," but that tag was soon left behind as each subsequent record and project Chaz Bundick (later Chaz Bear) undertook headed off in an unpredictable direction. Whether digging into 80s R&B;, house music (on the Les Sins side project in 2014), space age pop, prog, or guitar-heavy power pop (as on 2015s What For?), Bear is never satisfied to stick to a formula when he could experiment instead. Even when tapping into the mainstream zeitgeist, as on 2017s modern R&B-inspired; Boo Boo or the Daft Punk-meets-Frank Ocean 2019 album Outer Peace, Bears innate melodic gifts and sonic shapeshifting qualities always shine through. Bundick started making bedroom recordings under the name Toro y Moi in his native Columbia, South Carolina in 2001. Growing up, hed heard the disparate sounds of funk, soul, and new wave around the house and these influences colored his musical experiments. As he continued recording, so did the work of more contemporary artists like Beach House, Dilla, and Animal Collective. Along with recording many albums on his own, Bundick also played in bands. The Toro y Moi recordings were the ones that caught the ear of Carpark Records, however, and they released the "Blessa"/"109" single in 2009. The dream-like, lo-fi songs were proto-typical chillwave, and Toro y Moi, along with Neon Indian and Washed Out -- whose Ernest Greene was a childhood friend of Bundicks -- were seen as the vanguard artists of the nascent style. The first Toro y Moi album on Carpark, the murky, home-cooked Causers of This, was released in 2010 and got a lot of coverage in the press and some high-profile fans like Kanye West. After making an album that relied on samples alone, Bundick swung in the other direction for 2011s Underneath the Pine, using real instruments and incorporating space age bachelor pad and disco influences into his sound. The end result wasnt very chillwave by design, and it showed that Bundick had more to offer than murky, bedroom dream pop. That same year, he released the Freaking Out EP, which moved even closer to the dancefloor and featured a shimmering cover of Alexander ONeal & Cherrelles 1985 R&B; hit "Saturday Love." After Bundick moved to Berkeley, California in 2012, his music began to reflect his separation from loved ones, giving his next album a slightly more melancholy feel. Anything in Return was released in early 2013 on Carpark. His next move was to give himself over to dance music entirely, releasing the Michael album in 2014 under the name Les Sins. It was the first release on Bundicks new label, Company, which he co-ran with Carpark. The same year he also collaborated with Vinyl Williams on an album of new age prog songs titled Trance Zen Dental Spa. The next Toro y Moi album, 2015s What For?, featured contributions from guitarist Julian Lynch and Unknown Mortal Orchestras Ruban Nielson, and was the projects most straightforward collection of guitar-heavy pop songs to date. Bundick took an expanded live band out on the road, filming/recording one of the concerts, then releasing it as Live from Trona in 2016. He also hooked up with the jazz-prog duo the Mattson 2 to record the Star Stuff album, which Company issued in late 2016. By the time that album hit the shelves, Bundick had begun recording another Toro y Moi album. It was a time of soul-searching on both personal and musical levels, leading Bundick to change his name to Chaz Bear and shift musical gears back to his trademark ambient R&B; chillwave sound. Taking inspiration from artists like Frank Ocean and Oneohtrix Point Never, Boo Boo introduced more chill and space into the mix. It featured Bear playing most of the instruments, apart from contributions from live keyboardist Anthony Ferraro and vocalist Madeline Kenney, and was released by Carpark in July of 2017. After releasing Toro y Rome, Vol. 1, a five-song EP made with Philadelphia rapper Rome Fortune in 2018, Bear issued the sixth full-length Toro y Moi album, Outer Peace, early in 2019. The record showed the influence of Daft Punk and the Caribbean funk of keyboardist Wally Badarou while also dipping into modern pop sounds. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 13 Title: Sides of Chaz Released: 2010 Tracks: 7 Duration: 18:07 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Pitchers (03:30) 2 Goodbye Raven (02:06) 3 Right Ting (02:30) 4 Tall Grass (02:58) 5 I Can Make You Fall (02:19) 6 Jobs Make Jerks (02:10) 7 Entries (02:34) |
 | Album: 2 of 13 Title: Causers of This Released: 2010-01-04 Tracks: 11 Duration: 33:02 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Blessa (02:43) 2 Minors (03:02) 3 Imprint After (03:04) 4 Lissoms (02:13) 5 Fax Shadow (02:51) 6 Thanks Vision (03:44) 7 Freak Love (02:52) 8 Talamak (02:27) 9 You Hid (03:24) 10 Low Shoulder (03:35) 11 Causers of This (03:02) |
| Causers of This : Allmusic album Review : Toro y Moi (aka Chaz Bundick, who began making bedroom recordings under that name in 2001) was slated to release his first two albums in 2010, and Causers of This is the first of them. Causers of This sounds like a dance-pop mixtape plunged underwater -- its all smeary synthesizers, chopped-up dance beats, and washes of reverb. In other words, its a sound similar to that of Neon Indian or Washed Out (which makes sense, seeing how Washed Outs Ernest Greene and Bundick were friends well before this album came out). Causers of This main appeal is in its subtlety, and theres real pleasure to be found in all the little sonic tweaks and doodads Bundick has tucked into each track (a ghostly mesh of sampled vocals on "Fax Shadow"; a delicate drumbeat echoing, as if suspended midair, on "Minors"). But in the face of how imaginative and meticulously crafted it is, Causers of This is surprisingly forgettable. Its not that the album isnt interesting (it is!); its simply that no one track sticks out. "Blessa," with its haunting, chant-like lyrics ("Come home in the summer...Its all right/Ill fill you in, fill you in") comes close, but comes to an end before it really hits its stride; "Minors" gets closer (Bundicks reedy vocals offer a nice contrast to the tracks big basslines, booming reverb, and swollen synths), but it lacks a pronounced hook; and "Low Shoulder," a dancy, squinchy single, something like a sweet, shy mash-up of Pacific! and Cut Copy, comes so close it almost hurts (leading one to wonder why it wasnt given a spot earlier in the album). That said, Causers of This is a promising album; its well worth a spin or two if, say, youre a fan of Neon Indian in the mood for something a little more introspective, and its reason enough to stick around for Bundicks sophomore effort. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 13 Title: FACT Mix 219: Toro y Moi Released: 2011-02-04 Tracks: 1 Duration: 41:53 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 FACT Mix 219: Toro y Moi (41:53) |
 | Album: 4 of 13 Title: Underneath the Pine Released: 2011-02-22 Tracks: 11 Duration: 39:04 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Intro / Chi Chi (02:25) 2 New Beat (04:04) 3 Go With You (03:57) 4 Divina (02:18) 5 Before Im Done (02:42) 6 Got Blinded (03:09) 7 How I Know (04:05) 8 Light Black (03:23) 9 Still Sound (04:29) 10 Good Hold (02:27) 11 Elise (06:01) |
| Underneath the Pine : Allmusic album Review : Toro y Mois debut record, Causers of This, fit firmly in the newly formed chillwave tradition. Chaz Bundick (the sole member of the group) created a sound that was hazy, lazy, and submerged with lots of peaceful melody and an easygoing late-night warmth and charm. On the follow-up, Bundick could have done more of the same and it would have been just fine, thanks to his way with a melody and the invention he put into the lo-fi arrangements. Instead, Underneath the Pine takes some of the chill out of the wave and strips away much of the murk. The resulting record is a shiny, dreamy affair that retains all the hooks and feel of the first album but adds some energy and pop immediacy. The biggest change, apart from the more focused production, is that in between albums Bundick seems to have (mostly) forsaken his shoegaze fetish and discovered Stereolab and their take on space age bachelor pad music. Many of the songs on Underneath have the chiming guitars, blocky organ parts, squiggly synths, and robotic rhythms, as well as the tight and looping vocal harmonies, that Stereolab patented. Bundick adds some soft rock chord changes to the mix, and the resulting sound -- while highly reminiscent of the Lab -- actually ends up sounding quite unique. The real piano (or a reasonable imitation of one) that pops up now and then is a nice touch that distances Underneath from the chillwave aesthetic. The unabashedly fun dance tracks on the album are also a leap forward. While Causers’ "Low Shoulder" was danceable enough, “New Beat” and “Still Sound” leap feet-first onto the dancefloor with steady rocking beats, pumping basslines, and sensually delivered vocals. The keyboards on both tracks are kind of magical too; the shimmering piano runs on "Still Sound" and the cheesy but super-funky synth on "New Beat" are perfect. Based on these songs, Bundick could easily slip out of this whole chillwave thing and become a disco hero. Within the context of the album, though, they provide a boost of energy and fun that makes the record really pop. Underneath the Pine is an improvement in every way on Causers of This, and it should be the start of a long and interesting run of records by Bundick and Toro y Moi. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 13 Title: Freaking Out Released: 2011-09-13 Tracks: 5 Duration: 19:47 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 All Alone (03:56) 2 Freaking Out (03:31) 3 Sweet (02:35) 4 Saturday Love (04:07) 5 I Can Get Love (05:38) |
 | Album: 6 of 13 Title: June 2009 Released: 2012-04-24 Tracks: 10 Duration: 28:56 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Best Around (01:27) 2 Take the L to Leave (02:22) 3 Girl Problems (02:42) 4 Dead Pontoon (02:23) 5 Ektelon (03:19) 6 Drive South (03:38) 7 Sad Sams (02:55) 8 Talamak (First Version) (03:45) 9 Warm Frames (02:40) 10 New Loved Ones (03:39) |
| June 2009 : Allmusic album Review : Chaz Bundick began making recordings under the name Toro y Moi in 2001, but he only began to make some noise in 2009 when a flood of releases sparked a lot of interest in the chilly pop sounds he was creating. That year he put out two singles (including the much-hyped -- for good reason -- "Blessa"), an EP, a self-released full-length album (My Touch), and a tour-only collection of songs called June 2009. This June 2009 is a revamped version of that collection; nine of the ten songs here appeared on the original CD-R. Anyone who discovered Toro y Moi after 2009 may be surprised at how direct and indie rock-derived a big chunk of the album is, as many of the songs are guitar-based gems that show the influence of Pavement or My Bloody Valentine. There is plenty of reverb and the fidelity is reassuringly low, so its not a million miles away from later Toro records. A few songs sound like chillwave warmups for Causers of This, the early, looser version of "Talamak" in particular. Theres even a track ("Drive South") that nods to the squiggly electro-funk of 2011s Freaking Out EP. There may not be anything particularly revelatory about June 2009, but its a nice batch of tunes and anyone whos new to Bundicks work will appreciate this glimpse into the early days. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 13 Title: Anything in Return Released: 2013-01-22 Tracks: 13 Duration: 52:06 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Harm in Change (04:01) 2 Say That (04:44) 3 So Many Details (04:45) 4 Rose Quartz (04:13) 5 Touch (02:38) 6 Cola (03:33) 7 Studies (04:02) 8 High Living (04:19) 9 Grown Up Calls (03:28) 10 Cake (03:53) 11 Day One (04:17) 12 Never Matter (04:17) 13 How’s It Wrong (03:54) |
| Anything in Return : Allmusic album Review : Toro y Moi’s Chaz Bundick isn’t the kind of guy who likes to repeat himself from release to release. His debut album, Causers of This, was murky, subtle chillwave, the follow-up, Underneath the Pine, was a much brighter affair that sounded equal parts space age bachelor pad music (à la Stereolab) and late-night disco. He followed that up with Freaking Out, a bubbling, funky EP, and then 2013’s Anything in Return, where he mostly casts aside the guitars that populated Underneath the Pine and sticks closer to a sleek and subdued Chill&B; sound that sounds like a sadder version of Freaking Out. All the songs are dipped in shimmering layers of synths with the uptempo tracks underpinned by gently bouncing drums, the ballads with stuttering beats that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Miguel album. Though the arrangements are the most complex and carefully built he’s done yet, Bundick’s vocals are more out front than ever and filled with a newfound high level of passion that gives each song a strong emotional heartbeat. Despite the occasional diversion like the super sweet love song “Cake” or the percolating “Studies,” the album is a quietly melancholy late-night experience that unspools slowly and smoothly like a brilliant quiet storm mix tape. The first time through the album, it almost seems too quiet and too smooth, but repeated listens reveal the album’s strength and power. It’s almost a daring step for Bundick to take, as expanding his sound by making it brighter and simpler may have led to some mainstream success. Instead, his retreat into more complex and restrained sounds makes for a richer and more rewarding listening experience. That’s not to say that there aren’t any tracks that stand out and sound like singles; “Say That” has insistent rhythms and chopped up vocal samples that are sharply hooky, “Never Matter” has an almost Prince-ly strut that is infectious, and “Rose Quartz” is a softly pretty R&B; ballad with some great falsetto. Bundick’s genius on Anything in Return is that he blends these poppy moments into the overall fabric of the album and the whole thing holds together in a tightly wound, perfectly constructed ball of sound and songcraft. It may not be the most immediately exciting album of his career, but it is the most impressive and affecting. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 13 Title: What For? Released: 2015-04-06 Tracks: 10 Duration: 36:42 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 What You Want (03:26) 2 Buffalo (03:17) 3 The Flight (03:59) 4 Empty Nesters (03:43) 5 Ratcliff (02:41) 6 Lilly (04:27) 7 Spell It Out (02:54) 8 Half Dome (03:15) 9 Run Baby Run (02:45) 10 Yeah Right (06:11) |
| What For? : Allmusic album Review : Its not easy to pin down Toro y Moi and Chaz Bundick. Since he first started releasing music in 2009, one never quite knows what hes going to do next. From super-chilled bedroom pop to slick R&B-influenced; jams, his albums have covered a lot of ground. Everything he does is relaxed and smoothed-out at its core, though -- thats the one thing to count on. On 2015s What For?, Bundick takes another unexpected left turn. Casting aside the late-night R&B; of 2013s Anything in Return in favor of a guitar-heavy 70s approach, Bundick casts a wide net that includes bits and pieces of power pop, album rock, AM-ready soft rock, some fiery post-acid rock guitar riffing, and even a little disco. He proves to be a master of every stylistic avenue pursued here, turning in the catchiest songs hes written yet in the process. From the sparkling "Buffalo," which sounds like the best Seals & Crofts song never written, to the absolutely lovely "Run Baby Run," every song on the album sounds like it was borrowed from a K-Tel collection. Except perhaps "Yeah Right," which lasts for six slow grooving minutes and is the perfect AOR-style album closer, hair-raising guitar solo and all. What For? has Bundick taking a much more extroverted stance, with songs like the incredibly hooky "Empty Nesters" and shimmery disco confection "Spell It Out" showing more confidence and loose-limbed energy than he often does. Even the songs that have roots in the kind of chillwave he used to do, like the dream-inducing "Lilly," have his vocals higher in the mix and a less murky, more nuanced sound. Bundick must have known he was taking a risk of alienating his fans who looked to him for synth-filled music to soundtrack chilled nights and lazy mornings. Hopefully, they will be won over by the smooth grace with which he delivers his take on 70s pop and rock. No doubt anyone with a predilection for laid-back, good-time guitar rock will find lots of stuff to love here; so will people who like their pop unassuming and hooky as hell. Theres no telling what the next Toro y Moi album might sound like; all that is certain is What For? is the best one so far, with Bundick really coming into his own as a songwriter, vocalist, and producer. | ||
 | Album: 9 of 13 Title: Samantha Released: 2015-08-28 Tracks: 20 Duration: 00:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Power of Now (?) 2 2 Late (?) 3 Driving Day (?) 4 Good Song (?) 5 Pitch Black (?) 6 Us 2 (?) 7 That Night (?) 8 Stoned at the MoMA (?) 9 Room for 1zone (?) 10 Want (?) 11 ambient Rainbow (?) 12 Benjiminz (?) 13 Boo Boo Mobile (?) 14 bytheneck (?) 15 Real Love (?) 16 Enough of You (?) 17 The Usual (?) 18 Prayer Hands (?) 19 Holy Nights (?) 20 welp, tours over (?) |
 | Album: 10 of 13 Title: Live from Trona Released: 2016-08-05 Tracks: 13 Duration: 53:09 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Divina (02:18) 2 What You Want (03:26) 3 Buffalo (03:17) 4 Still Sound (04:29) 5 Ratcliff (02:41) 6 Half Dome (03:15) 7 The Flight (03:59) 8 JBS (06:33) 9 Lilly (04:27) 10 High Living (04:16) 11 Grown Up Calls (03:28) 12 Say That (04:44) 13 Yeah Right (06:11) |
 | Album: 11 of 13 Title: Boo Boo Released: 2017-07-07 Tracks: 12 Duration: 49:10 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Mirage (05:09) 2 No Show (03:14) 3 Mona Lisa (04:15) 4 Pavement (02:22) 5 Don’t Try (04:25) 6 Windows (04:05) 7 Embarcadero (02:46) 8 Girl Like You (03:43) 9 You and I (03:51) 10 Labyrinth (04:01) 11 Inside My Head (04:11) 12 W.I.W.W.T.W. (07:08) |
| Boo Boo : Allmusic album Review : After releasing the poppiest, most guitar-oriented Toro y Moi album yet with 2013s What For?, the always musically restless Chaz Bundick changed directions again. After a side trip to record some prog jazz with the Mattson 2 on early 2017s Star Stuff album, some soul-searching, and a name change to Chaz Bear, Toro y Moi took a big detour from power pop back to something more rooted in the chillwave sound Bear helped make a thing. Released in 2017, Boo Boo is a schizophrenic album that swings between almost formless R&B meanderings and peppy electro-funk, with Bear using space and distance on the former to create chilly atmospheres. Tracks like "Embarcadero" and "Pavement" are static and frozen, sounding like Frank Ocean tracks that were stored in a freezer. Bear liberally borrows from subaquatic balladeers like Ocean and James Blake, then ups (downs?) the stakes by removing the emotions. It leaves the ballads on Boo Boo empty at the center, ponderous and not much fun to listen to. More successful are the songs that have some swagger and fun in the grooves, like the bobbing "Girl Like You" or the bubbling "Inside My Head," which has some seriously tough bass playing and one of Bears best vocals. These tracks are indebted to Prince and Daft Punk, with all the lightness and joy that implies. The instrumentation is frothy and borderline cheesy, and Bear sounds like hes having a blast. Pity that more of the songs didnt have the same feel and sound. As it is, the two halves of the album dont mesh together well at all, and despite the occasional ballad that does have either a good arrangement ("W.I.W.W.T.W.") or melody ("No Show"), the strength of the lighter, more uptempo sounds serves to overshadow the rest. Knowing his history of never wanting to repeat himself, it would have been too much to ask for Bear to serve up a second volume of power pop brilliance, but with Boo Boo it does seem like he is repeating himself somewhat by delving back into chillwave tones and textures to diminishing returns. Despite the flares of inventive arranging and limber songwriting that flash from time to time, Boo Boo is the first Toro y Moi album that doesnt work overall, the first to feel like product instead of artistic expression. | ||
 | Album: 12 of 13 Title: Toro y Rome Vol.1 Released: 2018-07-24 Tracks: 5 Duration: 14:13 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Alright (02:38) 2 Da One (02:39) 3 1000mph (03:28) 4 Hoodrich Disco (02:53) 5 Love Yourself (02:32) |
 | Album: 13 of 13 Title: Outer Peace Released: 2019-01-18 Tracks: 10 Duration: 30:30 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Fading (03:17) 2 Ordinary Pleasure (03:03) 3 Laws of the Universe (02:49) 4 Miss Me (03:00) 5 New House (02:30) 6 Baby Drive It Down (03:07) 7 Freelance (03:45) 8 Who Am I (03:28) 9 Monte Carlo (02:05) 10 50‐50 (03:26) |