Ducktails is perhaps the chilliest project in existence. Now that is a pretty hefty claim, especially in a world where some artists (Neon Indian, Toro y Moi, Panda Bear, and Youth Lagoon to name a few) epitomize the word, but a single listen to Arcade Dynamics III makes it pretty self apparent. One of many acts to emerge from the bedroom home recording scene, Ducktails is the solo project of the guitarist from Real Estate and it is interesting how starkly different the two acts sound despite having similar aesthetics. While Real Estate is poppy and sun drenched (more so on their second album) Ducktails makes music that should not be listened to while driving or operating heavy machinery for fear of falling asleep. That’s not to say that the band is boring, no, that’s just to say that Ducktails is for relaxing to. A good example of how laid back they really are comes from the last track of the previously mentioned Arcade Dynamics, the song Porch Projector, a ten minute track that features light airy guitars combined with the stunningly beautiful sound of fireworks and people clapping. Asides from that though their more conventional songs stand well on their own too, the song Killing the Vibe especially stands out as a highlight from Arcade Dynamics. The track is just really relaxing and received multiple plays from me last summer. There are far too few albums that really make me think of warm weather, and this is the kind of album that should be kept under glass labeled ‘break at first sign of spring’.
