From the recently reviewed eponymous debut album, “Flowers and Football Tops” is truly one of the favorites off the album, so it’s nice to see the song get a well deserved video treatment. Full of powerfully bleak slow-motion imagery, the video is certainly heavy on drama, but it’s still worthy viewing nonetheless.
Love the song, not sure what to make of the video—arguably the most accessible tune off of Animal Collective’s masterpiece Merriweather Post Pavillion (which was recently reviewed here), “My Girls” has a video to coincide with the single. Featuring the shadowy remains of the band as they play joyfully against an oddly trippy background that resembles enlarged bacteria samples, it’s hard to say whether or not the video really captures the song as well as it could have. What do you think? The video is posted below:
While it’s certainly not bad, Noble Beast seems to be missing something.
Release Date: January 20, 2009
Record Label: Fat Possum
Rating: 80
Chicago-based Andrew Bird follows up his breakthrough Armchair Apocrypha with an album that often approaches but never fully captures the energy of its predecessor. There’s nothing wrong with that, but at the same time, it’s easy to find yourself simply wanting more from Bird. Lyrically he’s as sharp as ever, with witty and insightful lyrics, and musically, all the trademarks are also there—but it feels as though they’re all playing in a vacuum. The opening “Oh No” and “Tenuousness” are two clear exceptions to the rule, as they are both cleverly written, and both haunting and curiously beautiful. Similarly, the highly percussive “Not a Robot, But a Ghost” is dark and moody, but somehow, despite it’s idiosyncratic nature, the song comes off as a beautiful, yet fractured, work.
For all of the strong moments, however, there’s nothing that truly knocks you off your feet. At best the songs are clever, yet quaint, and at worst, they’re dull and perhaps better served as background noise. With the album clocking in at around 55 minutes, there’s a good amount of excess on this album as well.
Noble Beast is by no means bad, rather it’s a bit like a Sunday drive in the deserted plains—it’s quaint, open, and has it’s fun spots, but there aren’t necessarily any memorable landmarks. Instead you learn to appreciate the small things, and while there’s a lot of that here, it would have been nice if Bird had opened up just a little bit.
Andrew Bird - “Tenuousness”
Somehow, Merriweather Post Pavilion lives up to the hype and then some—this really could be the album of the year.
Release Date: January 20, 2009
Record Label: Domino
Rating: 100
Before Merriweather Post Pavilion was even released, people were proclaiming it to be the album of the year based on the strength of the live performances of the songs alone (that and the reputation that Animal Collective had garnered over the years). An exponentially growing wave of hype leads to this point, where the CD version of the album is finally released to the US (the vinyl release was a few weeks earlier). To put it simply, not only does Merriweather Post Pavilion shatter expectations, it does so in such a way that it could easily be considered the best album in Animal Collective’s accomplished library of releases.
The album begins with the highly atmospheric “In the Flowers,” which swirls around the listener with strings and fuzzy echoing vocals before erupting into an electronic symphony of such sheer beauty that one would think it should weigh down the rest of the album– that is until you hear the rest of the album.
If this is to be the album of the year, “My Girls” has to be the song of the year—immediately capturing, cohesive, accessible—never has a song of theirs captured so much of what makes them indie blog gods while making it appealing for the outsiders who have, to this point, yet to get it. The lyrics are deceptively simple, as the chorus of “I don’t mean to seem like I care about material things/like our social status/I just want four walls and adobe slabs for my girls” is sung with such jubilation that it feels larger than life.
While the joyous romps are the songs that will first catch your attention, it’s the beautifully lush, spacious-yet-intimate tracks like “Bluish” and particularly “Daily Routine” that slowly sink in and gradually grow on you after repeated listens.
The other popular road-tested song, the closing “Brother Sport,” is sure to be the other more popular song. The African-influenced polyrhythmic pattern is executed perfectly and is matched once again by smartly written lyrics as vocalist Panda Bear offers consolation to his brother about the passing of their father while also offering advice to “open up your throat.” There’s such a celebratory nature of the delivery that it’s hard to imagine that the meaning behind it could be so dark, then again, that’s more or less the theme of the album. Named after the venue where the band spent much of their time growing up, Merriweather Post Pavilion is as celebratory as it is intimate, in that it tries to capture the feeling of being at a small outdoor venue.
Animal Collective is rightfully one of the most talked about bands in music right now and, like it or not, Merriweather Post Pavilion is the kind of release that could finally push the band into the mainstream consciousness.
Animal Collective - "My Girls"
A very impressive debut release from yet another promising young band
Release Date: August 11, 2008 (January 13, 2009 in USA)
Record Label (US): Astralwerks
Rating: 92
Fantasy Black Channel is delivered with such consistent poise and confidence that it’s hard to believe such an album could come from such a young band. Nevertheless, this four-piece band from Castle Donington embark on a hectic and ever evolving journey, and you have the pleasure of riding shotgun. The introductory “Hot Tent Blues” is a sleepy jam that emphasizes their delectable approach to heavily synthesized dance-punk, before throwing the haughty 1-2 punch of “Broken” and “Space and the Woods.” From here on, Late of the Pier appear to throw their entire arsenal of sounds at the listener, from the highly rhythmic pseudo-Talking Heads piece “The Bears are Coming” to the power pop of “Random Firl” and outright 80’s dance rock of “Focker,” it’s clear that the band is incredibly versatile, yet as adventurous as they are—it never comes across as being unfocused. While the jams are relatively straightforward, the way that Late of the Pier dresses them up in such grandiose fashion with the genre-splitting layers of sound, everything comes as a bit of a welcome surprise. Throughout the entirety of the album, Late of the Pier delivers their sound at a ferocious pace in such a way that it manages to be incredibly fun without becoming tiresome– Fantasy Black Channel is highly recommended.
Late of the Pier – “Heartbeat”
Fuzzy Bits:
Released January 6, 2009 (USA)
Debut Release
Sounds Like: Glasvegas may have already found a winning formula with their debut release.
Overall Rating: 83
With an immediately distinctive distortion-ridden sound and a pension for blending elements of 50’s American rock, it’s unsurprising that Glasvegas has garnered comparisons to bands like The Raveonettes. It’s an accurate assessment, so long as you also mention the obvious influence of Oasis as well– something that’s apparent on the anthemic opening “Flowers and Football Tops.” The second and third tracks, “Geraldine” and “It’s My Own Cheating Heart that Makes Me Cry,” respectively, are probably the two most realized songs on the album. There’s a certain charm involved with both songs, one that allows lead vocalist James Allan to be forgiven for the overly wordy lyrics on the latter song. “Daddy’s Gone” is another stand out song, as it’s a touching song dealing with the subject of absentee fathers. Despite the shoegaze affiliated heavily layered fuzz of guitars and distant vocals, Glasvegas’ lyrics are personal enough to create an intimate feel that is ordinarily left behind. It’s an intriguing formula, and Glasvegas carries it through admirably on their debut release.
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While we’re never a huge fan of mash ups here at Fuzzy Thoughts, this one is intriguing for two reasons.
That being said, there are a few moments that somehow work (“No Karma” and “Lucifer’s Jigsaw” come to mind), and even if it’s not terribly clever, Jaydiohead is certainly going to attract a lot of listeners.
You can download the album for free here.
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