Albums to watch

Anything in Return

Toro Y Moi

Anything in Return

South Carolina's onetime chillwave pioneer Chaz Bundick veering towards a more pop and dancefloor-oriented sound on his 3rd album

ADM rating[?]

7.0

Label
Carpark
UK Release date
21/01/2013
US Release date
22/01/2013
  1. 10.0 |   Art Rocker

    It’s an album that gradually blossoms with multiple listens; one that deserves to be heard and subsequently cherished – if only for the sake of discovering the countless gems that lurk beneath its markedly murkier production
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  2. 9.0 |   Loud And Quiet

    An album bursting with masterfully crafted songwriting
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  3. 9.0 |   The 405

    This is either a new Chaz Bundick or one that has just been hidden away. Either way, he's nailed it
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  4. 8.0 |   All Music

    The whole thing holds together in a tightly wound, perfectly constructed ball of sound and songcraft
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  5. 8.0 |   No Ripcord

    Each song, each mood, each texture, and each beat deserves, at the least, a head bob. If you’re listening to the album properly, you should find your body gesticulating in the most sensuous and seductive manner possible
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  6. 8.0 |   Paste Magazine

    There aren’t specific songs on Anything in Return that function as stand-out moments, as much as the whole album functions as one long moment that stands out for its post-modern, semi-nostalgic originality
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  7. 8.0 |   The Irish Times

    This change of tack – along with a consistency of quality over the past three years – confirms that Bundick is in the game for the long run
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  8. 8.0 |   Mojo

    A world of dancey digital pop. Print edition only

  9. 8.0 |   BBC

    An energetic mixture of dirty pop and hip hop beats, laden with often-ebullient high-end melodies
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  10. 8.0 |   The Guardian

    Returns to the disco house party with his sharpest album to date
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  11. 7.9 |   Pitchfork

    Evokes the feeling of being young with options and in no hurry to figure it all out
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  12. 7.9 |   Bowlegs

    Toro seems to have reached a little deeper into his Soul, found a new confidence in his voice and written some of the best music of his career
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  13. 7.7 |   Beats Per Minute

    For all of its well-intentioned flaws and near-immaculate production, this record hums with a life of its own, confident in the abilities of its creator
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  14. 7.5 |   Pretty Much Amazing

    The brew of Anything In Return is strong enough that its overly sugary moments don’t ruin the experience of the album, and it’s certainly strong enough to merit many, many plays
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  15. 7.0 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    The high points of this record are undeniably of the pop sensibility, but also possess a sort of oddball charm
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  16. 7.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    This is a strong album from a chameleon like talent capable of donning any genre cloak he favours
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  17. 7.0 |   DIY

    The most redeeming quality of 'Anything In Return' is how absolutely natural it feels
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  18. 7.0 |   musicOMH

    Poor pacing and forgettable lyrics are the only black marks against what is a consistently melodic and well-constructed album
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  19. 7.0 |   Rolling Stone

    His latest is almost a straight R&B/dance set. But romantic certainty is in short supply
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  20. 7.0 |   PopMatters

    By trimming away the self-indulgent fat this uneven and overlong work might have been a landmark for Toro Y Moi. Instead it’s just another step in the path of of an interesting career
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  21. 6.0 |   Consequence Of Sound

    While Anything in Return might be the most consistent of any of his records up to this point, it lacks the punch to break through
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  22. 6.0 |   Spin

    Return is neither a step up or down from 2010's wave-warping Causers of This or 2011's time-warping Underneath the Pine, yet it's not more of the same
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  23. 6.0 |   The Skinny

    As he sees it, Return is an attempt to make “sincere pop music that’s not all processed and bubblegum.” By those lights, it’s an undeniable success – and further evidence of his impressive versatility
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  24. 6.0 |   Blurt

    As Toro Y Moi is mirroring sounds from genres past, Anything in Return sounds all too familiar
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  25. 6.0 |   The Observer

    Lacks substance, with several slight tracks coming on like snippets from a DJ set of the late 90s
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  26. 6.0 |   Clash

    The album wears a multitude of influences on its sleeve, containing elements of hip-hop, house, disco and funk, but ultimately there is a distinct lack of variation
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  27. 6.0 |   NME

    The lack of any real progression or improvement is making the warning lights flash
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  28. 5.8 |   A.V. Club

    Pop music is more than just dance beats and glammy electronics; it’s an attitude, and Bundick might just not have it
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  29. 5.0 |   Uncut

    It can at times be truly excellent 21st-Century pop, but too often the songwriting just doesn't match up. Print edition only

  30. 5.0 |   Under The Radar

    The complexity of Bundick's sophomore album Underneath the Pine, has been left behind in favor of streamlined R&B tunes, shedding any trace of his idiosyncratic worldview along the way
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  31. 5.0 |   The Quietus

    Feels again like the work of an artist still exploring his sound and yet to pin it down to something concrete
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  32. 4.0 |   Q

    For all its chiselled flirtation what it fails to offer is any real emotion. Print edition only


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Toro Y Moi: Anything in Return

  • Download full album for just £7.99
  • 1. Harm In Change £0.99
  • 2. Say That £0.99
  • 3. So Many Details £0.99
  • 4. Rose Quartz £0.99
  • 5. Touch £0.99
  • 6. Cola £0.99
  • 7. Studies £0.99
  • 8. High Living £0.99
  • 9. Grown Up Calls £0.99
  • 10. Cake £0.99
  • 11. Day One £0.99
  • 12. Never Matter £0.99
  • 13. How's It Wrong £0.99
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