A teenage Chaz Bundick began tweaking samples on his laptop in 2001, fueled by the '70s and '80s sounds of his parents' record collection. Over the next nine years, he released a handful of demos under various monikers, eventually settling on Toro Y Moi.
Then the great chillwave of 2010 washed up Toro Y Moi's Causers of This on the shores of the blogosphere with its deft mix of hushed synths and electronic drums. His 2011 release, Underneath the Pines, sends Bundick's airy voice soaring above tight, booming bass grooves and quivering keyboards.
Previous releases leaned heavily on laptops and samples, but Bundick recorded Pines with a live band in his hometown of Columbia, South Carolina, giving the project welcome backbone. It's hard when you're living, Bundick admits on "Still Sound." That may be true, but at least Toro Y Moi makes living danceable.
