I struggle to pinpoint what it is I don’t like about ANIMAL COLLECTIVE. In theory I should like everything about them. They are a mid-ground between Ariel Pink and The Flaming Lips. But there is something about them that just doesn’t sit right, and ‘Water Curses’ is no exception.
It may be that there is just too much going on. When you hit a part that seems to resonate, they add something to it that just takes the moment. It’s grandiose and pretentious, and it’s also highly accomplished. I can’t fault them for ideas. The vocals are a little too sappy for my liking. ‘Street Flash’ sounds like something I should like. An echoey, mid-tempo lament that again does nothing for me, perhaps because of the overdosing of noises and effects that seems to make it impenetrable.
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‘Cobwebs’ sounds like Mercury Rev being let loose on Cubase. Like the first two tracks, they create water-based sounds (last track ‘Seal Eyeing’ sounds like boiling water) – this time like a giant dripping tap. Very clever, and the images are well conjured up, but I just don’t enjoy it. Underneath all of the effects, there lacks a real tune and this is perhaps the problem. It feels dishonest somehow.
I can see why people love their weird and wonderfulness – but this is one collective that’s not for me.
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