I am a big Animal Collective fan. Every one of their songs are so different from one another and from anything I have ever heard. For the past nine years they have come out with a new album almost every year and they have all been pretty much amazing. Their new EP, released today is no exception. The songs on this EP seem to have a bit of a darker feel and the vocals seem to be more clear as well.
The first song is called "Graze". It begins as what sounds to be a slow, psychedelic chant and slowly morphs into a jumpy pan-flute jam. Line that got stuck in my head: "Why do you have to go, why do you have to go?"
The second song is "What Would I Want? Sky" Which is the first song to have a licenced Grateful Dead sample which runs through out the whole song. Line that got stuck in my head: "What would I want? Sky"
If I had to pick my least favorite song on this EP it would be really hard, but I think I would say it was "Bleeding". The first couple seconds begin with a deep mechanical sounding voice and then the rest of the song is like a slow-placed poem reading. That makes it sound lame, but its not. Lines that got stuck in my head: "I've feel, shameful, that I must bleed"
"Bleeding" is followed by "On a Highway" The way the lyrics of this song are constructed makes me think of when I had to write Haiku's in middle school. Line that got stuck in my head: "I can't wait to find home"
The final song may be my favorite of the EP. Its called "I Think I Can". It begins with a dark and extra-terrestrial feel. It sounds like some kind of spaceship is taking off. Then a bounce beat that sounds like someone beating plastic tubing comes in and changes the mood up. I just love all of the different rhythmic patterns of the vocals in this song. Line that got stuck in my head: "I think I can, I think I can, I think I-"
I know I will be listening over and over for at least the next week. I hope that Animal Collective keeps churning out awesome new songs. Hopefully they will have a new album early next year.
