February of 2010 brought us Toro y Moi's exceptional genre bending debut Causers of This. A funk-filled excursion through the last half century of music. More than half of the songs on the album bleed and transition into one another creating a massive tapestry of music's sordid past. Whether it's the drunken surf beat of “Blessa” strumming it's way into the synth storm of “Minors” or the disco rave of the lyric less “Lissoms” sending vocal stutters churning into the funky crunch of “Fax Shadow,” each song has it's own genre and era it just so delicately tries to break out of. These tracks are solely electronic but filled with so much damn soul.

It was quite an impressive feat for the then 24 year old South Carolina native, Chaz Bundick. It showed an obvious knowledge of music's history and a knack for how it could be best displayed in these copy and paste times.

But how would – or could, rather, a sophomore album compare?

By stripping itself of its time traveling abilities and dance sensibilities.

As great of an album as 2011's Underneath the Pine truly is, it definitely does remain quite static in its sound. There is a very prominent '60s rock feel to it. There's also a major downplay on structure, and an almost free-style jazz approach has been implemented. The general feel of this album is more organic and instrument based. Toro y Moi is beginning to sound like an actual band as apposed to an individual cranking out soulful audio flashbacks. Nevertheless, a lot of what Chaz exhibited in Causers of This can still be felt in this album – not really heard.

That's not to say any traces of Causer of This have completely dissipated. Let's just say, Chaz chose his singles perfectly. “Still Sound,” released in the middle of a rainy Los Angeles December, is a playful echo laden tune soaked in Chaz's swagger that, no matter the song, he just can't seem to shake. He earnestly sings “There was a finer life when I was with my friends and I could always see my family. It's what I still want now even if I'm here and I know they won't be waiting. 'Cause I don't want to be alone.” Swagger aside and as up beat as this song comes across, it's straight up depressing.

The second single “New Beat” is the model for the new path Toro y Moi has carved. Hell, he even states it in the lyrics: “...tried to make ends meet but picked up a new beat.” This song is decidedly the bridge between Causers and Pine. There are plenty of warbly synth twangs and slap bass evocative of his freshmen work but the majority of the sounds are instruments, not just synths and samples. There's a large human touch to Underneath the Pine that was missing from Causers of This.

There's a certain motif to Underneath the Pine that can be perfectly explained by one of the album's stand out tracks "Good Hold". It begins with sinister heavy-handed piano thuds – vaguely reminiscent of John Carpenter's Halloween score – instantly turning into a rainy-day-stroll-in-the-park-ballad straight out of The Carpenter's catalogue. This trend of duality is a common occurrence in Underneath the Pine and Causers of This. I like to see it as Chaz's proof that the musical formulas we create don't always apply. Although the inspirations have changed, the Toro Y Moi stamp is still here. This track in particular is unquestionably Toro y Moi stylistically, not necessarily sonically.

There's plenty to experience outside of the limitlessness of the lush electronics of Causers of This. All throughout Underneath the Pine there are old gimmicks employed that, somehow, in Chaz's hands, become extraordinary. The vacuum feel of “Go With You,” the single strokes of the piano on the instrumental “Divina," even the bongo beat in the sinister opener “Intro Chi Chi.” Most notably, though, is the last minute of ”Good Hold”. The harsh piano and the lazy drum beat mix with rich vocal harmonies. They collectively snake their way between each ear until they're submerged in an underwater thud that will shock you if unprepared. These are old tricks done very well.

From the electronic crispness in Causers of This, to the lateral step of the more fleshed out Underneath the Pine, Toro Y Moi has proven that sound and time alike is malleable and he is not one to be pigeonholed.

You can purchase both Underneath the Pine and Causers of This here or here

You can also purchase this tote bag sporting a Chaz/pug hybrid and a digital download code here