Animal Collective -Strawberry Jam

Mon 26th Nov, 2007 in Music Reviews

Forget everything you’ve heard about Animal Collective in 2007. Forget the magazine articles, the sold out tours, and the catchy choruses. Animal Collective are still as experimental, adventurous, and just flat out weird as ever. Despite their increasing presence in more widespread music circles, let’s get one thing straight; hearing animal collective on mainstream radio is still about as likely as Joanna Newsom releasing a rap-metal album. Heck, Zach Braff wouldn’t even touch this band with a 10 foot indie rock pole.

However, on their 8th release (7 Studio albums + 1 live album) Strawberry Jam, the Baltimore-via-Brooklyn foursome of Avey Tare, Panda Bear, The Geologist, and Deakin produce their most eclectic group of songs yet. The guitars and drums from their 2005 widely acclaimed Feels have been traded in for digital samples, synths and various other studio noise-makers. They still remain a band whose music is impossible to pigeonhole, the previous ‘freak folk’ or ‘psych rock’ labels they were tagged with no longer seem fitting. They not only create genres, they transcend them.

At nine tracks in length, Animal Collective continue their trademark of quality over quantity, while still managing to cover more ground artistically in the space of an album than most bands could manage in nine longplayers. One of the most obvious differences from their previous works is Avey Tare’s vocals being brought front and centre in the mix, highlighting his enthusiastic delivery and expansive vocal range. While Animal Collective have never been a band to listen to for the lyrics, they are consistently clear throughout the album. On lead single and opening track Peacebone over an almost hip-hop beat, Avey sings “I bet the monster was a-happy when we made him a maze” before later declaring that “the opposite of take-out is mildew on rice”. This sets the tone for the the album’s obtuse lyrics, later listeners will barely bat an eyelid at the mentioning of broccoli, Brooklyn and breasts.

As the centrepiece of the album, Fireworks is one of the most breathtaking, electrifying, and thrilling songs of the year. Built around cascading percussion and high pitched sing-songy backup vocals, the song builds, climaxes and descends repeatedly within five minutes of pure sonic pleasure. Avey pours his heart and soul into describing a moment of clarity found while taking in a fireworks display; “sacred night where we watch the fireworks….flashing eyes and if they’re color blind, they make me feel that you’re only what I see sometimes”

Strawberry Jam, also finds Animal Collective at their most restrained. With no track going beyond seven minutes, gone are the epic twelve plus minute experimental journeys found on previous albums . The Panda Bear penned Chores flirts with the structure of a straight up pop song based around an almost danceable beat until never recovering from a prolonged breakdown which drifts back into more familiar AC territory, while Winter Wonderland has the kind of spastic fast-paced repetitive chorus that can get stuck in your head for days after only one listen.

#1 is the closest AC get to dropping their guard and diverting to their old experimental ways. Beginning with a dreamy loop, Panda Bear’s soft Brian Wilson-esque vocals enter with a vocal line that could have been lifted directly off Person Pitch, his fantastic solo album released earlier this year. Avey Tare soon joins the fray, his voice electronically altered, with deep spoken words contrasting Panda’s high pitched harmony. Layers are delicately added carving out an ambient and textured soundscape, providing a welcome sidestep from the album’s more immediate tracks.

Tucked away at the second last song is the standout Cuckoo Cuckoo. Breathing life into the tired loud/soft dynamic, piano keys and pleading vocals trade off with bursts off thunderous drums and guitars cranked up to eleven. Every time the track threatens to fall into a chaotic heap, the band manage to right the ship just in time, almost toying with the listener whilst toeing the line between noise and heartfelt beauty.

The album closes on another Panda Bear jam Derek, an unexpected detour coming in the form of a sweet pop song about caring for a pet dog from the perspective of a child. While in contrast to the more complex and intense songs that preceded it, “Derek” is a perfect closing track showing off the talents of a band who continues to mature and evolve without losing an ounce of the humour, creativity, and unconventional brilliance that has made them one of the most exciting band’s of our time.