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Animal Collective Strawberry Jam Released in 2007 9.6/10 Styles Electronica Experimental Pop Song Highlights For Reverend Green Fireworks Winter Wonder Land |
For me, Strawberry Jam, the latest album by bizzare, electro-folk quartet Animal Collective, proved to be an example of that all important rule of thumb - don't give up on an album after the first listen! My initial spin through its nine tracks left me feeling somewhat underwhelmed; it was pretty good, but no match for 2004's Sung Tongs, let alone 2005's brilliant Feels. What a difference two more listens can make! My initial reaction of ennui and very-restrained-praise went to one of curiosity and growing enthusiasm, only to grow further into full-blown excitment. With such a sudden change, I even managed to surprise myself a little, but I feel no doubt at my new-found opinion of Strawberry Jam - this album is well-and-truly the best thing they've ever done. So, what's changed, if anything? Fans should be pleased to know that on Strawberry Jam Animal Collective's instantly recognisable sound remains intact, but there's also something new happening here. To start with, this album marks the first time that the group have allowed the pendulum of "songs" vs "soundscapes" to swing almost completely over to the "songs" side. If you're a fan of their previous albums' more catchy, accessible works (think "Who Could Win a Rabbit", "Grass", "The Purple Bottle", etc), then you're going to be very, very happy with the selection offered by Strawberry Jam. The focus is almost exclusively on the group's trademark style of organic, acoustic/electronic songcraft, complete with the usual cyclical, fast-paced rhythms and hypnotically kooky vocals. In a slight departure from their previous albums, there's somewhat less of an overtly "folky" style evident in the music, as the guitar and soft-synth melodies of old are replaced with abrupt noise bursts, very "upfront", grainy synths and massive, booming percussion, with occasional multi-tracked vocals creating many of the key melodies. However, despite the more abbrasive nature of the instrumentation, the album is paradoxically the group's most accessible. The decision to keep the songs tight, focused and constantly driving forwards - never indulgently lulling in their own "trippiness" - is crucial to the album's totally unlikely success. These are truly some of the weirdest "pop" songs you're ever going to hear, and they're utterly breathtaking. Avey Tare and Panda Bear share vocal duties between them, although for the most part Tare - who sings on the majority of the tracks - steals the show. His vocal delivery continues to improve by leaps and bounds, as he throws his voice out to the listener with total passionate abandon, with all of it's screeches, vocal tics, random falsettos and rollicking, "shouty" style making for an unconventional delight. Through all the manic energy, he constantly sings with infectious joy, resulting in an album that feels extremely celebratory and euphoric, but also tender and powerfully emotive, which has the massive plus of allowing him to easily form a very strong connection with the listener. In particular, listen out for the out-of-nowhere shouts of "For Reverend Green" (their impact is amazing), the campfire intimacy of "Fireworks" and the filtered, Bowie-esque vocal of "#1", which drives the album along its most surreal detour. Many of the lyrics are almost a secondary concern, as Portner manages to convey so much purely with his jittery phrasing and exuberant delivery, as well as the constant feeling that he is completely in emotional tune with the music by which he is backed. There are a handful of lyrical gems, though, with a couple of personal favourites being the chorus banter of "What's the day? / What's you doing? / How's your mood? / How's that song?" on "Fireworks", and "Winter Wonder Land's" lighning fast chant of "And if you don't believe in fantasy / Then don't believe in fantasy / Do you not believe in fantasy because it gets you down?", which evolves through several variations before ending on "Do you not believe you're dying just because it gets you down?" There's plenty of fortune-cookie sentiment, but it suits the album's tone utterly perfectly. Strawberry Jam also scores huge points for its runtime and sequencing. At just 9 tracks, with no drifting soundscapes in sight, the album feels tighter and more neatly contained than any of the group's prior efforts, and its 45 minute runtime races by in seemingly half that time. I'm always impressed when I feel compelled to listen again to an album from the beginning immediately after it finishes, and this album certainly had that effect, not just once but a number of times. In terms of sequencing, the placement of tracks is brilliant. While there aren't really any weak points to account for, the album's big highlight - the back-to-back crowd-pleasers of "For Reverend Green" and "Fireworks" - sits nicely in the middle of the album, with the remaining tracks sensibly arranged around this notably strong centrepiece, resulting in a clever and highly enjoyable progression. On Strawberry Jam, Animal Collective have again proven themselves masters of their utterly unique, trademark style of musical creation, managing to better a previous effort that many would consider a masterpiece itself. They continue to push their sound into new territories while maintaining their genuinely idiosyncratic style for which so many fans adore them. This album shows once again that they're undoubtably one of the most creative, vital and absolutely lovable bands making music today, with a track-record that's nothing short of exceptional. |