They're back. Animal Collective's sometimes weird, sometimes discordant, but always intriguing work continues in Centipede Hz. Vocals sound slightly distant, or dissociated, like he's singing through a tin-can-wire phone to the mic. Like previous AC albums, it's something that grows on you. Took a few listens to really start to like it. No FCC's
1: Starts with a countdown and a short build to heavy doom-tsch drumming. Can hardly make out the words. It has a nice texture of sound though.
2: * The lyrics say "Let's go Bionic" and the song reflects that, with a few glitchy electronic sounds. It's as if they're fighting with their organic nature and reflecting it in the song.
3: Shorter track. Slow, groovy opening. Beat is plodding. Vocals are dreamy.
4: Metaphors about fruit. Multiple entendres with different species of apples. A few catchy riffs.
5: * Trippy synths. boodle-oodle-eeeeEEEEE! Musing on dealing with change. Yup. Turns out it's inevitable. More news at 11.
6: Intro sounds like the song is unsure, unsteady, trying to find a place to land. Then it does and it rebuilds itself slowly.
7: * heeees speeeeaking soooo sloowwwwwwwly. TIME SNAP! Back to reality. It has burnout in the title, so is probably best listened to on drugs . Deep bass with the same trademark Animal Collective vocals. When you think it's just going to fade out it has a surprising synth-y twist and ends abruptly but segues directly into
8: which could be played on continuous from 7. They segue perfectly into each other. Vocals are less fuzzy and more cloying and it much less compelling than the track that precedes it. Gets jumbled and noisy towards the end.
9: * Fast. Mercurial. Haunting, ethereal background vocals. Final product is one of the weirder on the album, but quite good nonetheless. Another segue track into
10: Which opens with sounds of falling water. Slows down from the previous and vocals are less strident. One of the chillest tracks, in contrast to the more frantic track 9.
11: * Dark. Brooding. Ready to quit the world and go to the forest. Wonder what new stories and games he'll have for us next album. Godspeed, you Animal Emperor.