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**Reset by Panda Bear & Sonic Boom: A Cosmic Collision Worth Remembering**

In an era where musical collaborations often feel forced or commercially driven, the partnership between Noah Lennox (Panda Bear of Animal Collective) and Peter Kember (Sonic Boom, formerly of Spacemen 3) stands as a testament to what happens when two kindred spirits find each other orbiting the same psychedelic universe. Their 2017 album "Reset" may not have conquered the charts, but it carved out a distinctive niche in the experimental pop landscape that continues to reward patient listeners willing to dive into its hypnotic depths.

The album emerged from what seemed like an unlikely but inevitable meeting of minds. Lennox, fresh off Animal Collective's more accessible "Painting With," was reportedly seeking a return to the meditative, loop-based territories that had defined his solo work on classics like "Person Pitch." Meanwhile, Kember, the sonic architect behind Spacemen 3's drone-heavy masterpieces and a sought-after producer who had worked with MGMT and Grinderman, was exploring more melodic territory than his typically wall-of-sound approach might suggest. When the two connected through mutual friends in the underground music scene, their shared fascination with repetition, texture, and the transformative power of extended musical passages made collaboration feel less like an experiment and more like destiny.

"Reset" occupies a fascinating middle ground between Panda Bear's sun-soaked, Beach Boys-influenced psychedelia and Sonic Boom's more industrial, space-rock sensibilities. The result is something that feels both familiar and alien – like discovering a lost artifact from an alternate timeline where krautrock never left the mainstream and Brian Wilson spent the '70s experimenting with synthesizers instead of struggling with mental health. The album's six extended tracks unfold with the patience of a meditation session, each built around hypnotic loops that gradually accumulate layers of vocals, electronics, and found sounds.

The opening track "Reset" sets the tone with its pulsing electronic heartbeat and Lennox's characteristically layered vocals floating over Kember's carefully crafted sonic landscape. It's immediately clear this isn't going to be an easy listen, but rather something that demands attention and rewards repeated exposure. "Go On" follows with perhaps the album's most accessible moment, where a relatively straightforward melody emerges from the electronic fog, showcasing how effectively these two artists can balance experimentation with genuine songcraft.

The album's centerpiece, "Everyday," stretches across nearly nine minutes of blissful repetition, building from a simple vocal loop into a complex tapestry of overlapping sounds that feels both ancient and futuristic. It's here that the collaboration truly shines, as Lennox's organic vocal textures blend seamlessly with Kember's electronic manipulations. "Livin'" maintains this hypnotic momentum while introducing more percussive elements, creating something that feels like a distant cousin to both Animal Collective's tribal rhythms and Spacemen 3's motorik drive.

Perhaps the most successful track is "Edge of the Edge," which finds the perfect balance between structure and abstraction. The song builds around a deceptively simple guitar figure that gradually becomes surrounded by layers of vocals and electronics, creating a piece that feels both intimate and expansive. The closing "Whirlpool" serves as a fitting conclusion, its swirling textures and whispered vocals creating a sense of dissolution that brings the album full circle.

While "Reset" didn't achieve the commercial success of either artist's more famous work, it has slowly built a devoted following among fans of experimental pop and psychedelic music. The album stands as proof that collaboration doesn't have to mean compromise – instead, it can create something entirely new that honors both artists' strengths while pushing into unexplored territory. In an age of shortened attention spans and playlist culture, "Reset" argues for the continued relevance of the album as an immersive, transformative experience.

Years later, "Reset" feels like a hidden gem waiting to be rediscovered by each new generation of listeners willing to surrender to its patient, hypnotic charms. It may not be the most immediate entry point to either artist's catalog, but for those ready to take the journey, it offers rewards that reveal themselves slowly, like secrets whispered in a language you're only beginning to understand.