John's Track of the Week: Pantha du Prince's "Stick To My Side"

Song: Stick to My Side

Artist: Pantha du Prince

Album: Black Noise

Rating: 8.0

German producer Pantha du Prince (aka Hendrick Weber) had a lot to live up to after the acclaim he received from 2007's The Bliss. In a much more muddled and crowded electronic landscape three years later, there was little ground left untouched by other artists, leaving the standard for exceptional music that much higher. Yet, with all this in mind, Pantha du Prince delivered a sound as majestic and distinct as ever with his third release Black Noise, which saw release via Rough Trade just last week. Of course, having friends like Panda Bear (Noah Lennox) and Tyler Pope (!!!) can also be of some help.

"Stick To My Side" rumbles amidst clanging bells, garbled samples and a heavy backing beat. On an album full of house-influenced dream sequences, this one seems to stick out the most, partially due to how busy it appears-- while also buoyed by Lennox's appearance as well. Lennox's vocals break up the swelling soundscape, much as they did the walls of sound contained within Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavilion. Entangled within the array of interesting noises, someone has to derive the meaning, and from MPP to Atlas Sound's "Walkabout" to this track, Lennox seems to be your man. Check out the rich pop track below, and if you haven't already, go check out Pantha du Prince's Black Noise in full.

[Previously on Animal Noises: Tuesday's Releases (2/9): Now Streaming]