Animal Collective-Water Curses

Although I’ve been listening to this EP since it leaked on March 12 (nearly 2 months before its scheduled release date), I somehow haven’t lost interest in its pop-driven goodness and atmospheric “mysterrrry.” Enough online music blogs have creamed themselves over this band and everything they do [pitchforkmedia.com, looking at you, buddy], so I’ll save readers from the digital hand job that this band really deserves. And believe me…they deserve one.

Because really…they’re amazing.

Really.

In early April, savvy/snooping/avid/lucky blog readers of the world were [officially] offered the title track from the 4-track EP that was slated to be released on May 6. “Water Curses” (I’m talking about the song now) hit the web with a vengeance. Almost everyone I knew (and believe me, I know a LOT of people, and they love me) scrambled to be the first to have this pop gem on his/her iPod in hopes to be “that kid” at the party who could bust out the question that [hopefully] only they knew the answer to: “So…ahem…OH MAN GUYS! How good is the new Animal Collective track? I’d say better than eating cool Philadelphia cream cheese on a bagel on a sunny afternoon.” Then they’d play it on the loud-speaker, and everyone in the room would fall in love.

The title track from this EP offers the familiar ambient textures/background noises that were featured in “Sung Tongs,” but the energy and drive that was featured on “Feels.” Avey Tare’s melodic crooning serves as the perfect complement to Panda Bear’s ability to throw enough beats, samples, and weird gurgle noises into a song to make you wish that you were susceptible to over-stimulation from sensory overload. Effect-laden background vocals, courtesy of Panda Bear’s sampling skillz, cut through the mix to fill your ears with the lovely sounds of “Ooooooh oooh-sikfmsvhswe-ooooooh-kkzkzkzkzk-oooooh.” The song has enough breaks, builds, and banter to keep the listener attentive for a full 3:26, which in today’s world is a feat in itself.

The highlight of this EP, however, is the second track, “Street Flash.” Granted, Animal Collective has been performing this song for years now, but to have it in a hi-fi recording is wonderful. The intricacies of the song shine through in this mix as vocal fills fade in and out of the texture about every 5 seconds. Also, there’s this kinda creepy sample of a scream that the song features…and during the build, Avey Tare actually screams over the sampled scream. Which, seriously, just about made me **** my pants the first time I heard it.

So imagine, if you will, listening to this song for the first time through headphones. “I’m so sorry I came in late this evening, but all the clocks around the town had died. And all the fruit stores’ colors were so bright. [AHHHHHHHHHHHAHAHA] With couples smiling, cooking things tonight [AHHHHHHHHHAHAHA].” Pretty creepy right? But only kinda. Then, just as you get used to the sampled screams, the song’s break features some gargled vocals from Avey, and you have no idea what he’s trying to say. Eventually, you don’t even care about the rest of the song, you just want to know what he has to say. Because…his lyrics are so deep and all. And just as you are about to burst out, “Come on! You’re cool and all, but you’re not making any sense,” he hits you with, “What’s that twitching is it still AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

Did you just **** your pants? Probably not. So go buy the EP and call me in the morning. I promise that I won’t think any less of you.