The Listomania I make the lists, you shoot them down. Quid Pro Quo.

88. Panda Bear – Bros

Sometimes, you just have to go with the flow. Maybe you aren't down with something, maybe you're not in total agreeance, but it's worthwhile to be swept up in the moment and go along with the movement. Because sometimes, in doing so you finally get clued in on what is so special, and you avoid missing out on some serious shit. That's kind of how it worked with me and Panda Bear.

I'm not ashamed to admit that I didn't get this shit AT ALL at first. I wasn't really interested in listening to ten minutes of a not-so-great singer who sounded like he was standing in the shower while a friend dicked around on a keyboard on the other side of the bathroom door while listening to not-properly-tuned AM radio. Phew, that was arduous. But I ran with it anyway, got the album, listened to it a couple times, and I got hooked for one reason only - I love the Beach Boys.

And on listen three of "Bros" I realized that this song is a brilliantly drawn-out, sample-based update of The Beach Boys harmonies I've loved my whole life. So what if it repeats, seemingly unnecessarily, for five minute chunks. When something is beautiful, I want more of it. And with the sunny harmonies and chiming drones that Panda Bear creates here, it feels like laying in the sun for 12 minutes, soaking up the rays and starting to fall into a sweeping half-nap. You know, where you know you shouldn't, but you start to fall asleep a little anyway? But you never really fall totally into sleep, because you know you have to keep an eye on the time? That's what this whole song feels like to me. A gorgeous, sunny dream state that washes in and recedes out in what becomes a blissfully SHORT 12 minutes, shorter every time I listen. And if I hadn't jumped on board against my natural aesthetic instincts when Panda Bear released the album in 2007, I would've totally missed out. Lesson learned.