An inspired Alabaman matron once said, "Life is like a box of chocolates: you never know what you're gonna get." The same goes for New York's psychedelic rock quartet, Animal Collective.
With each new album the band evolves, adding new sounds to their musical repertoire. In keeping with this tradition, their newest record, the outspokenly rock-oriented "Feels," is an egress from their earlier norms.
On previous endeavors, Animal Collective's songs were abstract. They flaunted inconsistent instrumentation and melody and combined them with eccentric synthesizer. 2003's "Here Comes the Indian" is the most blatant example, where songs like "Native Belle" and "Panic" are hectic, evoking images of barbarity and disorder. The lone cohesive tune on the album is the noise-rock "Slippi," which arrives in the waning moments of the record.
"Sung Tongs" (2004), which, for Animal Collective, was considerably mainstream, touted definable songs. Clear melodies replaced sheer chaos. Lead singer Avey Tare (whose real name is David Porter) sang over the strumming of a dreamy, ethereal acoustic guitar. Nothing in these albums, however, could have prepared even the most avid Animal Collective fan for the delightfully upbeat dynamic of "Feels."
The album starts out in the same way as "Sung Tongs," where more upbeat songs subside to slower melodies as the album progresses. But this time around, Animal Collective's once-psychoactive songs have been transformed into pure rock. The first seconds of opener "Did You See the Words?" may remind listeners of Animal Collective's folk nuances on "Sung Tongs," but with a twist: the aforementioned ephemeral folk-rock acoustics have been traded for bona fide electric guitars.
Three songs are especially exemplary of the rock 'n' roll undercurrent on "Feels." The second song, "Grass," pays homage to early 1950s rock idols like Ricky Nelson and Chuck Berry. Steady and bouncy drumming joins with bluesy guitar to mimic the pattern of these late greats. Still, there are the requisite Animal Collective antics: random bird sounds and Tare's sporadic screaming.
The other rockin' examples ("The Purple Bottle" and finale "Turn into Something") resemble the Beach Boys. If the California five were ever to record a song while on speed, "The Purple Bottle" would be the result; surf guitar-ridden "Turn into Something" would be the fruits of Brian Wilson's labor while on LSD.
The other songs on the album offer a taste of Animal Collective's irregular and varied sound. "Flesh Canoe" is strikingly shoegaze; its droning guitars and dreamy sound are comparable to My Bloody Valentine's "Touched." "Banshee Beat" builds from a modest guitar intro to a full out pop song. The only departure from the Collective's progressiveness is "Bees," which sounds as if it could have been a demo from the "Prospect Hummer" EP.
While some may argue that a record of rock and pop songs from such an innovative group as Animal Collective detracts from their originality, it merely demonstrates their variability.
With that said, "Feels" is easily some of the best material that Animal Collective has produced. Although it is not a complete stylistic departure from earlier and more anarchic projects, "Feels" is different enough to represent an evolving band. Their constantly changing and fluid sound is admirable in a world where niche bands make record after record of stilted, predictable music. Given the direction from whence Animal Collective came, one can only imagine what creativity their forthcoming releases will bring.
