New Album from A While Ago - Centipede Hz by Animal Collective

I’m back! Again! Wait…This sounds familiar...

All right, I am going to have to come clean with you… I do not know how much I will be able to blog anymore. You see, the reason why I haven’t been blogging since my “return” is that I transferred to MIT which is… a bit infamous for a heavy workload. To illustrate how bad this can be, about a month ago Mark wrote a really wonderful article on MPP and said “As anyone who knows Elliot can tell you, playing Animal Collective will bring Elliot out of the woodwork like…well…a hipster to a new Animal Collective album. ”. Reading his article indeed “brought me out of the woodwork like a hipster to a new Animal Collective album”, it encouraged me to start writing again; I thought “I HAVE to write a follow up article, I will start right after I finish my work!” Well… this is my follow up… One whole month later…

So I guess I have to change the way I work. I have still been picking up new albums every week, but am now 15 or so albums behind. There is no way I can make all that up. In fact, there is almost no way I can write an article every week anymore (at least not ones as long winded and “well-written” as my previous ones). So here is the deal. I am going to try and put at least SOMETHING up every week. The length of the post will just proportional to how much the album inspires me to write. This will range from long articles like today (being about Animal Collective, I have a lot to say) to half-paragraph long reviews of albums I didn’t like (like if I ever get around to writing about Tenacious D’s Rize of the Fenix). Either way, I hope you enjoy reading my reviews as much as I love writing them.

Ah… the elephant in the room… Centipede Hz came out a month ago… Why now? What happened to the three weeks in “three weeks ago”? Two reasons:

1.  This is MY column dammit and I can arbitrarily create temporal anomalies if I want to (much like I can cry on my birthday if I want to).

2.       Yesterday I played hooky from MIT to travel to Philly and go to an AC concert with John

  Let me start by saying that AC completely blew my mind. The show was absolutely incredible. Trust me when I say this, nothing beats Avey Tare screaming in person. The fact that that man can do that with his voice for 2 hours a day, 4-5 days a week, for months at a time, and NOT sound like Tom Waits (or worse, Bob Dylan) is simply incredible. I also have a hard time believing that they actually PLAY their instruments; guitars simply can’t (or shouldn’t) make noises like that. I will upload pictures to the FACEBOOK soon.

           

        Back on track: Animal Collective is by far one of my favorite bands of all time for one HUGE reason. Every single one of their albums (that I have) is simultaneously completely different than the others and strangely similar. They all feel like Animal Collective, but with a different feel. Sung Tongs is AC with an acoustic folk feel, Strawberry Jam is AC with a kick-ass rock feel, Feels is AC with a unique feel that can only be described as bizarrely tuned instruments, and MPP is AC with an electro-pop feel. Centipede Hz is the new Animal Collective album, and its feel can be best described as chaotic-analog technology.     

       

       If you happened to see my last post, you got to see my initial reaction to the album as it streamed online for the first time 2 weeks before the release date. This chaotic feel is apparent right in my reactions; I had no idea what was going on for most of it. What you don’t know was that by the time September 4^th rolled around and I got my double LP in the mail, I had already listened to the album over 15 times. I can hear you so enthusiastically shouting “HOLY CRAP! You listened to an album 15 times before it was released?” (in my mind, all my readers are on the edge of their seats when they read my posts). And yes, yes I did. Why? At first I just wanted to understand it, and then soon I was trying to achieve the goal of becoming sick of it before it even dropped. And well… I failed; I am still not sick of the album.

To be fair it isn’t my fault; the album is absolutely incredible. Something about it just prevents me from getting sick of it. Maybe it is the fairly consistent quality of the tracks. Some albums have sections that kinda drag on and wear on the listener. Maybe it is the fact that my favorite tracks, “Moonjock”, “Applesauce”, “Monkey Riches”, and “Amanita” are respectively tracks 1, 4, 8, and 11. That is a pretty perfect distribution over the course of the album. I never really have to wait for the “good part”.

Maybe it is the fact that the album flows together super well. The whole concept that Animal Collective was going for was a radio transmission with music going in and out as it overlapped with static and each other. This means that every song has a really interesting “mini-song” at the beginning and end that serve as transitions between tracks. This makes the individual tracks kind of confusing to listen to, but also makes the album feel really complete. In fact, I know this album so well that I could tell John what track was coming in 45 seconds based only on the type of static that they were playing on stage.

But probably the most likely reason is that CH is just a good collection of songs. I named my favorites above, but every track is really top notch (with the exception of “Rosie Oh”, which I just can’t seem to get behind). “Moonjock” serves as a thumping head banging intro that starts with “This is the new Centipede Hz” and ends with typical AC insanity. “Today’s Supernatural” is the crazy un-hinged single that is terribly fun live (“Letletletletletletletletletlet GO!”). “Applesauce” is probably the masterpiece of the album with its glorious vocal patterns and drums. “Wide Eyed” is the first Animal Collective song written and sung by Deakin and let me tell you, it is a treat.

On the second half we have “New Town Burnout”. This song is clearly Panda Bear’s baby; the fact that it was originally written for his solo work is obvious, yet he managed to work it to feels like an AC song and a good one at that. “Monkey Riches” flows over you like the Ocean on a rocky cove. I didn’t make up that image, a video of waves crashing on rocks was paired with it in the live stream and the image is just too perfect not to mention. The opening drums in “Mercury Man” are simply fantastic as is the drums on the whole song, hell the whole album (John would be mad at me if I didn’t mention the fact that Panda Bear plays drums this time around and that his set uses bongos in lieu of toms). “Amanita” is a fantastic end to the album; it matches the grandeur of the intro “Moonjock” and then kicks it up a notch, an ending reminiscent of Strawberry Jam’s “Derek” and MPP’s “Brother Sport”.

Now that I have talked for a great deal about the successes of the album, I need to bring up its failings. The first complaint that I (and a lot of people have) is evident in my initial reaction, it is dense. While this is typical of AC, CH is particularly hard to understand and parse. In fact, I do NOT recommend listening to it on ear buds. It needs nice headphones or speakers; it NEEDS some space between you and the music. The other “problem” with the album is kinda hilarious given how much I have complimented the album so far; it is simply not that good of an album for Animal Collective.

Yeah, you read that right, CH is not that good of an AC album. I just spent 1000 words drenching it in praise just to conclude it’s not good… But that has less to do with CH as it has to do with AC. For heaven’s sake, when you’re last 4 albums have been MPP, Strawberry Jam, Feels, and Sung Tongs, or as I like to call them, FOUR OF THE GREATEST ALBUMS OF ALL TIME, anything less than that level of brilliance appears bad.  And well, it’s not on that level. Something about it is missing.

 I feel that Today’s Supernatural is a huge part of the problem. Each AC album always has a “big song” that kind of defines the feel of the album. For me it is “Who Can Win a Rabbit” off Sung Tongs, “Did You See the Words” off Feels, “Peacebone” off Strawberry Jam, and “My Girls” off MPP.  “Today’s Supernatural” just really doesn’t hold any water to those songs, it is definitely weaker. And though AC is definitely an album oriented band, without that big hit it just doesn’t feel like as strong of an album.

Another thing that a lot of people don’t like is what I started this section with, the general feel of the album. To some it feels over produced, to others it feels too chaotic. I actually really like the feel of CH, in fact I would rate it over Feels, Sung Tongs, and maybe MPP for that exact reason. This is just a part of the AC fan base; there is no agreement over which AC album is best (John loves Feels and MPP). On average however, CH is below the big 4.

But really, if CH was made by almost any other band it would be the gem of their career. The album is stunning and has some undeniably great moments. And well, even if you’re a jaded lover of everything pre-MPP (commonly considered their “pop album” if AC could even have one), you should find comfort in knowing one thing that I believe with all my heart. Centipede Hz is not a sign of decline, AC is still on a roll, and the next album will have a completely different feel and be completely awesome. Who knows, maybe they will adapt this new “dub step” trend I have been hearing so much about. 

Mark’s Pick of the Week: Merriweather Post Pavilion by Animal Collective

           
            “Why Animal Collective Mark?”  You may be asking violently shaking your monitor.  “And if Animal Collective then why not their new critically acclaimed LP Centipeed Hz?”  First of all don’t shake the monitor like that.  It’s really bad for it, and I won’t be able to feel it anyway.  Second I’ll explain if you’d let me stop narrating your initial response to this article. 

            The reason for this pick is two fold.  First, my good friend and tallest blogger Elliot is a big Animal Collective fan, and I’ve been missing his contributions to the blog.  As anyone who knows Elliot can tell you, playing Animal Collective will bring Elliot out of the woodwork like…well…a hipster to a new Animal Collective album. 

            The second reason may be a bit of a surprise to most people.  I’ve never listened to an Animal Collective album all the way through until today (the day I started writing this not the day you’re reading this silly).  This morning, after hearing an interview with a few of the band members on XPN I decided to finally take the plunge, so I’ll have something to compare the new LP to.

            Instead of taking my fixed gear bike to the coffee shop to document my decent into full hipster I deiced to listen to it while I cut my lawn because the lawn needed doing.  Quite frankly I am SO happy I did because it was a really interesting experience.  The two things this added to my experience were the sounds of my surroundings, and my inability to check my Ipod.

            This is an ambitious project.  There is a lot going on in this album, and each sound was recorded and mixed with all the other sounds in just such a way.  Things fade in and out, build up, change and blend.  In the opening track “In the Flower” there are instruments, but there is also cricket, frog, and running water sounds (probably more natural sounds that I haven’t picked up on yet) that all come together with the music, and independent of the music. 

It’s the same effect you could get if you were out in nature playing the songs, but every creature or element making the sound would keep the beat and volume as if they were in the band.  There are plenty of other examples of this nature sampling in the album that helps to give it phenomenal natural sound.  While I mowed the lawn I got the feeling that the music was almost being performed around me with even the hum of the mower adding it’s own little piece to the natural symphony AC already put together for me.  In fact there were a few time where I looked around thinking a sound I heard was happening off to the side or something.

The second thing I mentioned was not being able to get to my Ipod.  Because of this I didn’t realize where the songs were beginning or ending.  Looking at the length of songs, especially ones this long and expansive, can really take you out the moment.  Chugging along through these song like I was chugging along with the push mower helped me to appreciate the tension this album so masterfully creates.

This album is one of repetition with purpose.  What I mean by that is a lot of the songs build these crescendos by slowly but surly building up the parts of the song until they climax often with REALLY impressive results.  Take “My Girls” probably one of my favorite tracks on the album as an example.

How’s the best way to end this post?  How about a song that exemplifies both of the points I mentioned.  “Summertime Clothes” I think really does this well even if, in my opinion, the first point is a bit more evident.  However, Animal Collective are more of an album band anyway, so to get the full experience you need to listen to the whole thing anyway (says the guy who just started to take that advice.)  Any hypocrisy aside I really enjoyed this and “Strawberry Jam” and I look forward to hearing their new release.  These guys have a website, because they’re cool like that, so if you like what I’ve put up defiantly look into these guys because between their solo and group stuff they put out music like ever other week.

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Elliott's real time reactions to the pre-stream of Centipede Hz

Hello Readers!

I know it has been a long time since I have posted an article. My only excuse is that I have had a very busy summer (I got a job). That being said, there is no time like the present to get back into the swing of writing, and no band like Animal Collective (besides Man Man) to make me want to talk about music. So here goes everything (and by that I mean nothing).

So as many of you know, AC is releasing their new masterpiece album on September 4th.
As those of you who liked our Facebook know (see what I did there), I am so excited for this album that I made my doctor think I had rabies won't talk about anything else. You might also know that they streamed the album for the first live on Sunday night. Well, while I was listening for the first time, I wrote down the thoughts that ran through my mind. I have since listened to the album 7 times (I am currently on my 8th), so I have a MUCH better idea of what I think of the album, but I will save that for my full review in late September.

So it is my pleasure to present to you what ran through my mind as I listened to Centipede Hz, with some comments added (in blue italics) later to give you some context. (Warning: my English is broken and I can't spell)

 

Before the album started, the Geologist played a mix of songs that inspired the sound of the new album. This was very confusing for me, because I had no idea if the album had started yet.

OH MY GOD WHEN DOES IT START
WTF IS THIS MOONJOCK?!?!
no... that was just another intro... DAMMIT
IS THIS MOONJOCK?!?!
Nope....
OMFG ITS STARTING!!!!! a'oihfq[oihgqow

01 Moonjock
AWESOME start, heavy hitting drums and riffs
slowish but hard. 
referring to the style of the song
typical ac crazy crushed stuff together
very compressed and hard to understand, but good - very dense
oh man those drum hits are SEXY
i love the random noise too
fuck yeas, AC got sucked into a computer / blender
"what!"
I wrote down lyrics I liked a lot (or understood) in quotes
omg funcky breakdown of wtf?
sudden cutout, then lots of random stuff, very AC transition, lots of transitions i am guessing
kinda mini songs
The transitions are like mini songs, a la Fall Be Kind

02 Today's Supernatural
oh man, i know this one
I own the single and have listened to it countless times over the last month
man this visuals are trippy
The stream came with special visuals for each song
mixture of rollercoaster, distorted kids from home movies, and MRI pictures of the brain. oh and a really old cartoon
probably the least excessible AC album I have ever heard at the moment, we will see the rest
OH but this song! its great, like driving at 150 mph barely holding on , any slip will makes you crash.
Aw... its ending, now for rosie oh, been wondering how this transition was gonna work, cause i like the "mini song"

03 Rosie Oh    
- This song is a weird one, most of my thoughts are me not understanding what is going on
sweet! the strings hold on in to new song,
OH MAN, i love this.. wait...this is weird
eh all ac is weird, but in a good way
oooohhhhh i like this songs breakdown thingy
oooooohhhhhhhhh, fuzzy funky riff at the end,
some samples and "johnny walker"  
Describing the end of the song

04 Applesauce
aight, some fuzz going on
sounds like musical engine taking off  or like a rocket ship of sound
fruit in space visuals
oh man i really like this song
how to explain it? its like warm and fuzzy and happy
A pretty good description actually
less chaotic then the previous songs, but still out there
AH I LOST THE STREAM
OH THANK GOD IT BACK      
counting up 1-4, but with stuff inbetween, super cool
The lyrics count up in the lyrics, it's cool
fade in and out switch
Transistion

05 Wide Eyed
more fuzz and stuff, sounds like a crazy bass is building
nope i was wrong, no base
god this is the worst band to do this too    
I complain about how hard it is to describe AC from here on
the worst album by them too XP
Yeah, this album is particularly confusing on the first listen
too much is imposibble to describe at the top of my head
It gets easier on later listens
this one has a great bum bum...bum bum... bum bum...
Trying to describe a pulsating bass sound
"wide eyed" over and over, more noise takes over
oh man, time is getting messed up
AC - the closest you can get to an acid trip without doing acid
laughing and "be okay" over and over
I really liked describing the ends of songs a lot....

06 Father Time
the flashing colors hurt my eyes
the video gave me a headache at this point
this is a quiter simpler song                  
nice
slows down a lot at the end, whispers over and over
a breath of rest, glorious silence
the silence at the end of the song is a welcome change of pace           

07 New Town Burnout      
I sort of zoned out on the rest of the album, less comments                 
starting back up,     
music picks back up                                              
oooohhh interesting percussion going down
buzzing like guitar
kinda calmish, seems nostalgic and reflective who knows

08 Monkey Riches
waves in image perfect for song
You should check out this song with visuals, its fitting
flows in an out, crashing then lulling, very soothing in that way, but not slow at all
exactly like a wave, crash, drain, pause, rush, crash
breakdown gets chaotic flare, its good
same with ending

09 Mercury Man
rushing drums and electronic like intro
then changes, like everysong on this album XP
the intros REALLY throw me off    
"sounds like machines talking to me through the phone"
rolling drums
"just let it slip like mercury, just leave me be like mercury"
"it might be somewhere, it might be no where"

10 Pulleys
nice kinda piano in the background
simple beat, swelling lyrics
oooooooo , tricks you into thinking the song is over

11 Amanita
oh man im feeling this one
uses quiet very well
OH NO LOST THE STREAM AGAIN
oh good its back
holy shit! skeleton dance, sily simphony (referenced in my DSO post)    
LOST STREAM AGAIN ARRR
back
GOD DAMMIT LOSING STREAM
oh man this is fucking awesome
awesome bussing and chaotic
like graze of derek, but not the same
i will have to listen to lyrics, but the song sounds very regretful
"what are you gonna do? what are you gonna do?"
ending is sort of a crash, winding down.
SOOO GOOD
aww... its over... :_(


I hope you enjoyed my broken thoughts, I know I laughed re-reading them.
If there is one thing to take from what I wrote, it is that Centipede Hz is not an accessible album. It can be very hard to get into on your first listen, mainly because it is hard to tell what is going on.
That being said, I highly recommend the album. Each listen just makes me enjoy the album more and more.

Pick up Centipede Hz on Sept 4th or visit  http://radio.myanimalhome.net/  to check it out pre-release.

Track of the Moment- Peacebone by Animal Collective

 

When it comes to the discography of Animal Collective my favorite track has always been For Reverend Green from the album Strawberry Jam. When it comes to music videos though by far my favorite from them has to be Peacebone. The video is at its heart a love story, between two aliens, and If that’s not enough to get your blood boiling than I don’t know what is. The track is great too, I have always loved the very beginning in which The Geologist lays down crazy crazy synth noises that starts out hectic diffuse and then hones into a carefully crafted sound and as always Avey Tare gives it his all with the lyrics. It is for sure one of the stranger songs from Animal Collective (which is really saying something) but it is also one of the best, and a personal favorite.