''Wondrous Bughouse'' is the second album by
Youth Lagoon, the stage name of American musician Trevor Powers. The album was released on on the independent record label
Fat Possum Records. It peaked at No. 76 on the
Billboard 200, No. 12 on the
Independent Albums
The Independent Albums chart (previously titled Top Independent Albums) ranks the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays (EPs) in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by '' Billboard'' maga ...
chart and No. 26 on the
Top Rock Albums chart.
Composition
''Wondrous Bughouse'',
Trevor Powers' sophomore record as Youth Lagoon, finds Powers collaborating alongside distinguished mixer/producer
Ben H. Allen for the first time. Allen had produced with
indie musicians before, previously lending his expertise to lauded records such as
experimental pop quartet
Animal Collective
Animal Collective is an American experimental pop band formed in Baltimore, Maryland. Its members consist of Avey Tare (David Portner), Panda Bear (Noah Lennox), Geologist (Brian Weitz), and Deakin (Josh Dibb). The band's work is characterized ...
's influential ''
Merriweather Post Pavilion'' (2009) and
art rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that generally reflects a challenging or avant-garde approach to rock, or which makes use of modernist, experimental, or unconventional elements. Art rock aspires to elevate rock from entertainment to an art ...
quintet
Deerhunter
Deerhunter is an American indie rock band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in 2001. The band currently consists of Bradford Cox (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Moses Archuleta (drums, electronics, sound treatments), Lotus Plaza, Lockett Pundt (guitar, ...
's ''
Halcyon Digest
''Halcyon Digest'' is the fifth studio album by American indie rock band Deerhunter. It was released September 27, 2010 to universal critical acclaim. It was the band's first album distributed solely by 4AD worldwide (previously 4AD only handled ...
'' (2010).
Powers' debut for the
Fat Possum record label, ''
The Year of Hibernation'', was produced by engineer/friend Jeremy Park in Park's own
Boise-based
home studio Kung Pow! Studio. The final product would don a
bedroom pop aesthetic that would "stand out from its
lo-fi peers thanks to a sense of wide-eyed adventure."
With ''Bughouse'', Powers' sonic palette would expand to yield "a dense tapestry of swirling
overdubs and warped
psychedelia," "much grander and more ambitious than its predecessor."
The "brilliantly grandiose"
"Mute" is "a strongly
psychedelic
Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of ...
, deranged rainbow puke of a song,"
on which Powers' vocals "have never sounded so soaring and confident."
Third track "Attic Doctor" features a "
calliope-like melody",
recalling "the darker
VHS carnvial sound of
Ariel Pink."
Critical reception
''Wondrous Bughouse'' received positive reviews from most contemporary music critics. At
Metacritic, which assigns a
normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an
average score of 74, based on 24 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".
Accolades
Tracks
Track listing
Charts
References
{{Authority control
Youth Lagoon albums
2013 albums
Fat Possum Records albums
Albums produced by Ben H. Allen