Noah Lennox has spent the better part of the past half-decade as an all-star collaborator, demonstrating just how adaptable his grown-up choirboy falsetto can be over lo-fi, French touch, and mariachi. It’s no surprise, then, that his first solo outing as Panda Bear in five years is about the necessity of having someone in your corner. That the “someone” in question happens to be a white-hot Cindy Lee is both an inspired meeting of the minds and a thrilling teaser for Lennox’s forthcoming album, Sinister Grift. Both artists are obsessives known for chiseling their music down to the most minute detail, and while “Defense” foregoes the most glamorous potential (Panda Bear with a cat eye, Lee & Lennox do Hazlewood/Sinatra), the duo deliver a solid piece of indie rock craftsmanship. Over a sturdy floor thump, Lennox sings wearily about falling hard out of an unstable partnership before Lee blazes in with a pyrotechnic solo that Tuareg guitar wizards like Mdou Moctar would approve of. Even at his most dejected and self-incriminating, Panda Bear has a clear home in Lee’s music.
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