Basement’s Best: ‘What For?’ a strong left turn for Toro Y Moi

In the music biz, there’s an understandable element of danger in a visionary hard left turn. Time and time again, artists have followed their muses down the charts when their too-high flights of fancy glided on the momentum of their Last Big Thing.

Usually the gamble is a “bigger they are, the harder they fall” ordeal, and countering every electrified Dylan is a soul-patched Chris Gaines. Luckily, as musical attention spans have shortened, artists have begun separating their genre-sticky identities with a schizoid dissociation to keep fans -- and themselves -- pointed in the right direction (see: Justin Vernon).

Now relegated to 2011’s time capsules and Portlandia’s title credits, “chillwave,” the flash-in-the-pan subgenre that launched Washed Out and Neon Indian to the forefront of the indie realm, has left its progenitors scrambling for relevancy after having the rug pulled out from under them. Rather than languish along with it, Chaz Bundick’s Toro Y Moi project found the artist trying his hand, successfully, at house, nu-disco and now, most unexpectedly, power pop.

While one of the surest landing places for any transitional musician, the three-minutes, 33 seconds guitar/bass/keys/drums formula seems a stretch for the smilingly earnest Bundick. His confidence in the new identity is evident in his releasing under the TYM moniker, and it’s that same confidence that truly sells “What For?”

As if to forewarn listeners to his shedding of any “-wave” descriptor, Bundick’s fourth long-player begins with the sound of F1 racers speeding around some far-off track before launching into the Big Star-indebted “What You Want.” Sunny, phased guitar jangles bump up comfortably against crunchier power chords as Bundick shoots for his own number one record.

The back-half standout “Run Baby Run” just as openly mines Chilton and co.’s back-seat exuberance as the tip-of-my-tongue familiarity of the track, sated with blue-eyed backup harmonies, alternately appeases and frustrates those with any idea of the AM band’s importance to ‘70s rock.

It’s the most straight-faced pick of “What For?,” and those that revisit the album several times over are likely to pass over the track’s confectionary sheen in favor of its meatier companions.

Toro Y Moi’s early champions still ought to find scattered satisfaction in the record, as Bundick holds some of the stronger cards from his previous works for his hand here. B-Side beginner “Lilly” ripples with a downright funky vibe, buttoned up by a pincushion, clavinet-driven beat. With a silver-lined cloud of a chorus, Bundick meets his old self halfway, and the song plays off like a lost Todd Rundgren jam.

Part of the album’s success as a retro-minded foray comes from Bundick’s collaboration with Unknown Mortal Orchestra -- er, orchestrator Ruban Nielson and Real Estate hobnobber Julian Lynch, two experimental artists whose work has always been grounded in the headier side of 1970s pop, as their instrumental inclusion gels together enthusiastic acoustic strums and synth burbles.

Notably, the album does not finish with any allusion to the opening engines; no careening racers, no checkered flags. If we’re to find any significance in this, it very well may be that Toro Y Moi will continue down this new path for the foreseeable future, detractors be damned.

96.3 KNDS Suggests

“Not Far to Go” – Avid Dancer
https://soundcloud.com/avid-dancer/not-far-to-go

An ex-Marine (and world-class rudimental snare drummer) brought up almost exclusively on Christian music, Jacob Summers’ project Avid Dancer seems to answer a red-eyed “what if?” posing, as candy-coated vocal harmonies pillow this otherwise cocksure power pop nugget.

“Marimba” – Bitchin Bajas
https://soundcloud.com/hitd-3/bitchin-bajas-marimba

With a gently churning bedrock of arpeggiated wooden tones, the expansive “Marimba” ebbs and flows as ethereal flutes and synth pads phase in, out and through.

“Piss Off” – F.F.S.

The latest fruit of the collaborative album from the Scottish pop-rockers Franz Ferdinand and Sparks, the cult ‘70s art-pop duo whose dancey quirks inspired them, is a big middle finger delivered with an ear-to-ear grin.

“Lock & Load” – MNDR ft. Killer Mike

Amanda Warner, the Fargo-bred producer/performer behind MNDR, teams with the Run the Jewels spitter for an aptly violent addition to the upcoming “Welcome to Los Santos,” a companion soundtrack to the latest Grand Theft Auto installation.

“Puffer” – Speedy Ortiz

Brooding and razor-wired, the noisy Northampton, Mass., four-piece skitters and sears on this poisonous romp.