Haven’t done a real time review in a while, and hey, Fall Be Kind just leaked. Let’s see what’s up. Here’s a live blogging of my thoughts, revisited only for editorial clarity or to fix grammatical errors…

Graze (5:22) - Dang, kinda sounds like a Disney film. Like, this fits in well in Aladdin specifically. A ballad sung by Jafar. Dreamy piano drops in at the 2-minute mark. Kinda John Tesh-y. The synth swells and whispy vocals a minute later is similar to Mercury Rev, but like, kinda bad Mercury Rev (via All is Dream). The song’s climax picks up where “Brothersport” left off… safari music. Reminds me of this big exhibit they had at King’s Island when I was a kid, where they’d blast fun Afrobeat while you ride the tram through the various habitats of savannah creatures. The hippos were my favorite. They liked to chill.

What Would I Want? Sky (6:46) - Heavy, trippy, multi-layered percussion and driving rhythm with an almost trip-hop/psych-hop flavor. I like having Avey Tare back in the foreground on throat duty, though the aforementioned visceral Disney tones prevents him from unleashing his vocal chords via “People” or “Grass.” Chorus melody is a little corny, though, and kinda sounds like Metric. The vibe, though, is unlike anything they’ve done before. Wish the shiny production was taken down a notch. It doesn’t suit them. Good track for the most part, though.

Bleeding (3:28) – Space rock backdrop and Noah/Dave vocal interplay that doesn’t really head anywhere after…. what, about three minutes. But if “Bleeding” was a minute and a half long jam… this would’ve been a cut. Almost reminiscent of “Banshee Beat,” but sans some of the mysticism.

On a Highway (4:36) - The creepy voice and drones sound promising. Turns into a relaxed song about smokin’ hash, road trippin’, and not wazzin’ your trousers. Kinda forgot about it playing because I was reading this article on insane, abandoned Cold War projects. Ended up being boring all in all. The song, not the article.

I Think I Can (7:10) - A sort of trance beat anchors this song, with huge percussion dropping in and Panda-led vocal harmonies. Just like Merriweather Post Pavilion. Actually, almost exactly like MPP.

Final thoughts: Looking forward to all the flaming that will occur in the comment sections, but whatever. Maybe it’s because I was listening to George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass and Wire’s Pink Flag this morning, two albums so perfect that it’s hard for anyone to follow it up. But maybe Animal Collective just doesn’t have it anymore. No more insane vocal yelps from Avey or destroyed song structures. Just cartoon pop with some cool sounds every now and again. I know they’re all husbands and dads now, but maybe the drugs were doing good things to their collective headspace circa 2004 (and AC was smart enough to hide their stash on tour, LOL KING KHAN!). I mean, I dunno… it is what it is. Animal Collective are a group with ample talent and an adventurous spirit, and I’m sure they will have a sort of “return to form,” even without repeating the successful forumlae found on Sung Tongs. In the interim though, I’ll probably just go back to listening to the new Tune Yards record and continue about my day. I’d like to see more “What Would I Want? Sky,” por favor. Less Sebastian from The Little Mermaid. Plz?

Fall Be Kind is out on Domino on December 15. JUST IN TYMEZ 4 CHRIMMMASSS!

MP3 :::
Animal Collective – What Would I Want? Sky [excerpt only - don't wanna get Web Sheriffed]