Animal Collective

I'm not much of a music connoisseur as i used to be few years back. I don't really hunt for new music as i've lost that hunger and i've acquired (partially) a reading habit.

But animal collective captivates me.

Being childhood friends, they have been able to produce experimental music for such a long time. When i say experimental, it means that most people can't accept what they offer. It's so much anti pop, they are categorized in the 'freak folk' genre. I couldn't comprehend the music they were playing prior to their album 'Feels'.

But since then, their music has been more acceptable to the common ear, and i'm certainly impressed. If there's a band to rival Radiohead, this is it. They have taken the step into the world of electronica and synthesizers and drum loops, akin to what Radiohead has done from the world of guitars and drums.

Their new album is a chemical reaction between Beach Boys' poppish sentiments with Kraftwerk's ambience and electronica and what you get is a distinctively Animal Collective sound. It's something like the Postal Service, just that it's much more destuctured and experimental.

Maybe this is the hallmark of great bands. Take Pink Floyd for example. Where would people rank them if it wasn't for their shift of sound from the psychedelic rock 'Piper At The Gates of Dawn' to the progressive 'The Dark Side of the Moon'.

'My girls' is from the new album. Simple lyrics (There isn't much that i feel i need, a solid sould and blood i bleed) compared to one of my favourite tracks from the old album, 'Feels' entitled 'Did you see the words?', with thoughtful lyrics such as (Do the elderly couples still kiss and hug and grab their big wrinkly skin so tough wrinkly wrink wrinkly?). This 'indie music video' is a video made by a fan for the song 'Did you see the words?'.