Album Details

• Artist: Animal Collective
• Single:
Peacebone
• Label: Domino
• Year of Release: 2007
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: kev_stev on 2008-04-09

Animal Collective's Strawberry Jam was a nearly unanimous hit, rocking the indie world with its successful mixing of electronica, pop, psychedelic, and experimental noise.  All the greatest qualities of Jam come to fruition on their opening track, "Peacebone," which takes a hazy, electronic loop, which brings psychedelic to a whole new level as it fades into a buoyant melody.  Over danceable, foot-pedaling drums, abrasive screams, and layers of melodic noises, Animal Collective prove on "Peacebone," and every song that ensued on Jam, that they're more than just a weird, sample-heavy band, but are a group of guys that can take their peculiar visions and make them into moody and thought-provoking music.

However, while Strawberry Jam was a tremendous success, its cohesiveness and fast-tempo left little room for an epic--a staple of most Animal Collective releases.  Thankfully, their single "Peacebone" allows Animal Collective's 9+ minute b-side, "Safer," to still be heard, after becoming a fan favorite on the band's 2006-7 tours.  Beginning with the resounding of piano keys and melancholically melodic vocals, the song swoons until vocalist Avey Tare's repetitively rasps, "I'm all right if you're all right."  Amidst this screaming, the piano seamlessly fades into a new layer of sound, where echoing vocals float behind a foreign vocal melody, sung with a new sense of urgency.  Tare's screams continually manifest throughout the song, as he switches from melodies to screams--a vocal effect that presents a conflicting duality within the song.  And, of course, Animal Collective always find room for their "eee"'s and "ooh"'s too, making "Safer" no exception, echoing vocals until the song peacefully fades away.

If you have never listened to Animal Collective, this might be the place to start.  Stay away from remixes; they're never worthwhile.  Stick to the band's material and you will be very pleased; these guys are on the top of their game right now and they seem relentless to continue their success.

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