Animal Collective has released their latest album, and like all of their previous work, they continue to produce a new sound with every album they make. With their latest album Centipede Hz, Animal Collective dove head first into what sounds like a psychedelic jam session. This release welcomes back all four members of Animal Collective, which hasn't happened since their 2007 album Strawberry Jam.By Basement DJ: Nate Mechtel
Centipede Hz starts off with trippy synths and melodic vocals on the track MoonJock. The songs continue with a little bit of everything, there are some slow ballads as well as a few bouncy get up and go tracks. For listeners new to Animal Collective, this album may take a few spins. If you have never listened to them before, Animal Collective has never been necessarily the most accessible band. Even with their last commercial psychedelic synth-pop breakthrough Merriweather Post Pavillion, the band's goal is to give you a new sound with every album they make. With their latest debut Centipede Hz, they run in a completely different direction from their previous albums. Making a psychedelic jam session with all four members proves to be quite the experience to listen to if not the most ideal for new comers of the band.
The band Animal Collective is composed of four inter-changing members Avey Tare (David Portner), Panda Bear (Noah Lennox), Deakin (Josh Dibb), and Geologist (Brian Weitz). This latest work is the first time they've all been back together since their 2007 release Strawberry Jam. The opening track "Moonjock" kicks the album off nicely with a nice cadence of cymbal and snare, trippy synths and Avey Tare's very melodic and expressive singing voice. This is then followed by his more brash yelping "let let let let let it go" on the album's more chaotic single "Today's Supernatural". The album has some great tracks after with Deakin taking vocals on the slow jam "Wide Eyed" from the bouncy and more ecstatic track "Monkey Riches" and fanfare and grandiose of the album's closing track "Amanita". The lyrics, while remaining a little puzzling in terms of message sound great and purposefully sung in the songs. The thing that can be a turnoff from the album is that while listening to the album straight through can be a good experience there is a lot less catchy and well constructed tracks as on their previous works. The album itself can almost blend into a pile of sound and crazy mess and those who are not previous fans of the band will have more and more trouble being patient enough to get into such a turbulent and disorganized psychedelic jam. Even bigger fans of AC will be more disappointed listening to this in comparison to some of their previous works such as Merriweather Post Pavillion, Sung Tongs, or Feels. For those who are new to this band, this album may take a couple listens or may not turn you off to the band completely and for fans this will be at least an acceptable album if not their best work. However Centipede Hz overall shows that this band will never sell out to creating new styles every album and although it may be harder to get into then previous works this album has enough solid tracks for you to at least appreciate the creativity and originality that this band strives for. As Avey sings in the closing of the album "I'm gonna come back and things will be different." and if anything is true about AC is that they'll be back to shock us all in the future with whatever new
sound they have.