Wondrous Bughouse

Wondrous Bughouse
Studio album by
Youth Lagoon
ReleasedMarch 5, 2013 (2013-03-05)
Genre
Length50:45
LabelFat Possum
Producer
Youth Lagoon chronology
The Year of Hibernation
(2011) 		Wondrous Bughouse
(2013) 		Savage Hills Ballroom
(2015)
Singles from Wondrous Bughouse
  1. "Dropla"
    Released: January 16, 2013
  2. "Mute"
    Released: February 11, 2013

Wondrous Bughouse is the second album by Youth Lagoon, the stage name of American musician Trevor Powers. The album was released on March 5, 2013 (2013-03-05) on the independent record label Fat Possum Records. It peaked at No. 76 on the Billboard 200, No. 12 on the Independent Albums 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. Writing the music at home and recording demos on a tape recorder,[10] Powers' lyrics explore themes of death, surrealism, human frailty, and the afterlife.[11][12] Featuring extensive use of synthesizers, noise and ambient elements, and avant-garde piano and guitar effects,[13] the album suggests a growing state of uneasiness and psychological dysphoria.[14][15] Allen had produced with indie musicians before, previously lending his expertise to lauded records such as experimental pop quartet Animal Collective's influential Merriweather Post Pavilion (2009) and art rock quintet Deerhunter's Halcyon Digest (2010). Wondrous Bughouse was recorded in Atlanta, Georgia.[16]

The album is the follow-up to Powers' debut for the Fat Possum record label, The Year of Hibernation, which was produced by Powers and his friend Jeremy Park in Park's own Nampa-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."[17]

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."[5]

The "brilliantly grandiose"[3] "Mute" is "a strongly psychedelic, deranged rainbow puke of a song,"[18] on which Powers' vocals "have never sounded so soaring and confident."[5]

Third track "Attic Doctor" features a "calliope-like melody",[19] recalling "the darker VHS carnvial sound of Ariel Pink."[18]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.4/10[20]
Metacritic74/100[21]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
The A.V. ClubA−[3]
Beats Per Minute68%[22]
Consequence of SoundB[8]
Drowned in Sound8/10[18]
Exclaim!7/10[5]
The Line of Best Fit9/10[23]
NME[24]
Pitchfork8.7/10[19]
Slant Magazine[4]

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".[21]

Accolades

Tracks

Publication Work Accolade Rank Ref.
Pitchfork "Mute" The Top 100 Tracks of 2013 75 [25]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Trevor Powers.

No.TitleLength
1."Through Mind and Back"2:31
2."Mute"5:58
3."Attic Doctor"3:52
4."The Bath"4:47
5."Pelican Man"5:07
6."Dropla"5:56
7."Sleep Paralysis"5:34
8."Third Dystopia"5:01
9."Raspberry Cane"6:40
10."Daisyphobia"5:19
Total length:50:45

Charts

Chart (2013) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[26] 76
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[27] 12
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[28] 26

References

  1. ^ "Youth Lagoon: Wondrous Bughouse | The Irish Times". irishtimes.com. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  2. ^ "Review: Youth Lagoon – Wondrous Bughouse | Pretty Much Amazing". prettymuchamazing.com. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d "Youth Lagoon: Wondrous Bughouse". Music.avclub.com. March 5, 2013. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Review: Youth Lagoon, Wondrous Bughouse | Slant Magazine". Slantmagazine.com. March 3, 2013. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d "Youth Lagoon: Wondrous Bughouse | Exclaim!". Exclaim.ca. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  6. ^ "Youth Lagoon – Wondrous Bughouse | musicOMH". musicomh.com. March 14, 2013. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  7. ^ "Youth Lagoon: Wondrous Bughouse | No Ripcord". noripcord.com. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  8. ^ a b "Album Review: Youth Lagoon - Wondrous Bughouse". Consequence.net. March 4, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
  9. ^ a b "Youth Lagoon: Wondrous Bughouse". AllMusic. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  10. ^ "ROLL THE TAPE: A Casual Conversation With ... Youth Lagoon - self-titled". February 22, 2013. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  11. ^ Cohen, Ian. "Youth Lagoon: Wondrous Bughouse". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  12. ^ "Youth Lagoon talks 'Bughouse,' influences and afterlife". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on June 21, 2013. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  13. ^ Symonds, Alexandria (March 5, 2013). "Youth Lagoon: Out of the House, Into the Bughouse". Interview Magazine. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  14. ^ Bosman, Chris (March 5, 2013). "Interview: Youth Lagoon". Consequence. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  15. ^ Dembinsky, Ryan (February 24, 2022). "Interview: Youth Lagoon Gets Weird". The Safety First. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  16. ^ "ROLL THE TAPE: A Casual Conversation With ... Youth Lagoon - self-titled". February 22, 2013. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  17. ^ "Youth Lagoon: The Year of Hibernation | Pitchfork Media". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  18. ^ a b c "Youth Lagoon: Wondrous Bughouse | Drowned in Sound". Drownedinsound.com. Archived from the original on October 17, 2020. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  19. ^ a b Cohen, Ian. "Youth Lagoon: Wondrous Bughouse". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
  20. ^ "Wondrous Bughouse by Youth Lagoon reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
  21. ^ a b "Reviews for Wondrous Bughouse by Youth Lagoon". Metacritic. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
  22. ^ "ALBUM REVIEW: YOUTH LAGOON – WONDROUS BUGHOUSE | Beats Per Minute". Beatsperminute.com. March 4, 2013. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  23. ^ "Youth Lagoon – Wondrous Bughouse | The Line of Best Fit". Thelineofbestfit.com. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  24. ^ "Youth Lagoon – 'Wondrous Bughouse' | NME". Nme.com. February 27, 2013. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  25. ^ "The Top 100 Tracks of 2013 | Pitchfork Media". pitchfork.com. December 16, 2013. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  26. ^ "Youth Lagoon Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  27. ^ "Youth Lagoon Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  28. ^ "Youth Lagoon Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
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