Anything In Return - Toro y Moi
Anything In Return Image
Metascore

Generally favorable reviews - based on 35 Critics What's this?

User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 20 Ratings

  • Band members: Chaz Bundick
  • Summary: The third full-length release for Chaz Bundick was inspired by his recent move from South Carolina to Berkeley, California.
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 35
  2. Negative: 0 out of 35
  1. Mar 5, 2013
    92
    Make no mistake about it, most of the instrumentation on the album is just Toro y Moi. More so ‘Moi’.
  2. Jan 23, 2013
    80
    What's most striking is how effortlessly Bundick seems to construct each groove without compromising the complexity of his hybrid style.
  3. Jan 25, 2013
    80
    It may not be the most immediately exciting album of his career, but it is the most impressive and affecting.
  4. Feb 8, 2013
    60
    Anything In Return feels again like the work of an artist still exploring his sound and yet to pin it down to something concrete.

See all 35 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 6
  2. Negative: 0 out of 6
  1. Chaz does it again. With the beautiful entrance piece "Harm in Change" to the groovy stepping stone "Say That", Bundick sets the stage for his brilliant display of chilled-out pop sounds - and don't worry guys- he does not forget about his prolific use of samples. All of his tracks stand out if you listen to them without the bias of his previous albums. Sure, it may not be the heavily processed, hip hop funk sounds of his previous projects, but he flexes his production muscle and shows us that he'll bring us clean, crispy, catchy pop without expecting anything in return. Expand
  2. This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A fantastic album that once again breaks the boundaries of genre and expectation. A quirky and intelligent album with apparent influences from electronic house, hip hop, indie rock, funk, and Chaz's own personal style. Songs like Touch, Harm in Charge, Cola, and Studies really accentuate Chaz's growth as a musician, producer, and song writer. Expand
  3. This record is fantastic. Familiar sounds from Toro Y Moi, but also explores new terrain. If you're already a fan you'll enjoy this record. Definitely some more R&B influence than past albums, but it's a welcome change. Expand
  4. This is not a bad album. The problem with this album is that, in my opinion, it's underwhelming in production and song structure esp. in the second half. The first 4 tracks are pretty good with "Say That" and "Rose Quartz" being the highlights. After that, the album is really drops in quality. I definitely see where Chaz was going with this album and I sometimes am awed by the expertise of his production and how he is able to make all of his sounds and ideas flow in one track: "Say That" being the best example. Like I said before. this isn't a bad album, it's just extremely underwhelming. However there are definitely great tracks on here other than "Say That" and "Rose Quartz" such as Studies", "Cola", and "So Many Details". However, there are also other tracks on here that fail to take off and just fall up short in production and song structure. Definitely an ambitious effort from Chaz and he definitely gets my respect. Expand

See all 6 User Reviews