The latest CD releases reviewed

PANDA BEAR
Person Pitch Paw Tracks ****

As the drummer with Animal Collective, Noah Lennox knows the ways and wiles of electronic abstractions. As Panda Bear, Lennox is more interested in turning sounds and melodies with ecstatic, enchanting edges into delirious tunes, psychedelic hymns and childlike campfire folk tales. Bros, the album's epic centrepiece, is one example of how Lennox the dreamer and doodler triumphs, pulling a whole gallery of acoustic guitars into a starry, dizzy groove that builds and builds over 12 minutes into a sonic rapture. Something similar happens with Good Girl/Carrots, which opens with a flurry of tablas before coursing along on a hypnotic, soothing dub. Lennox has pop aspirations as well, and not just because his vocals can sound occasionally akin to Brian Wilson. Listen to Comfy in Nautica or Ponytail and you'll find yourself intrigued by the ambitions of this one-man band. www.myspace.com/rippityrippity

Download tracks: Bros, Comfy in Nautica

ROEDELIUS
Snapshots/Sidesteps Psychonavigation ***

To say that Hans-Joachim Roedelius has form when it comes to electronic music is a bit of of an understatement. The Krautrock/ ambient pioneer has worked with a who's who of electronic shape- shifters, including Brian Eno, Holger Czukay and Dieter Mobius. These days Roedelius is still at the coalface, and Snapshots/Sideshots is a set of the German veteran's recent collaborations with Patrick Pulsinger, Thomas Fehlmann, Alex Patterson, Fabio Capanni and David Bickley. The textures crafted by Roedelius and his accomplices are the most intriguing characteristics of this album. Whether it's the beautifully serene Ad Honorem with Seiichi Suzuki or the mischievous pitter-patter surrounding his Elektrum workout with The Orb, Roedelius's handiwork makes for pieces that always look to project way beyond the horizon. www.psychonavigation.com

Download tracks: Ad Honorem, Dynamo