Baltimore-bred, NYC-dwelling musical outfit Animal Collective is one of a precious few contemporary bands that achieves a singular sound bordering on the bizarre, masterfully bending and distorting melodies, harmonies and rhythms like a team of mad scientists. The result of this symphony of oscillations is ethereal, transformative - and most importantly, fresh - noise.
The current three-piece touring line-up of AnCo is comprised of Avey Tare, Panda Bear and Geologist, with the former two sharing vocal duties (in addition to various instrumentation), and the latter lording over the swirling electronic samples. In a previous life, the collective almost prided themselves on propagating experimental, inaccessible music, and soon cultivated a devoted following among college-aged eggheads-cum-recreational-drug-users. Flash-forward almost a decade later and Animal Collective are, strangely enough, in vogue. Much of this change can be attributed to the success of recent album Merriweather Post Pavillion (their eighth) which, in addition to being one of the most critically-acclaimed albums of 2009, is their most accessible effort to date. It’s their Sgt. Pepper’s.
Whereas the group previously treated their live performances like quirky, spirited jam sessions, test-running new material, Animal Collective’s sold-out show at NYC’s Terminal 5 exhibited the band’s ‘maturation’, as the boys performed a selection of slightly-retooled songs from their catalog, with half of the 12 tracks stemming from aforementioned record MPP. It’s highly debatable whether or not this new live approach marks a step forward for the band or a step backwards but, when they start you off with a deranged retuning of “Chocolate Girl,” off the group’s 2000 debut Spirit They’ve Gone, Spirit They’ve Vanished, you might as well just sit back and enjoy the ride.
Unfortunately, opening act Grouper did little to help get the party started. In fact this, the solo project of electro/acoustic musician Liz Harris, situated below a giant illuminated orb that cast a blue tint over the proceedings, sucked virtually all the energy out of the room with her brand of drowsy, ambient noise. Granted, it didn’t help that she was performing in sound-raping venue Terminal 5, or that she could barely be heard above the chatter and high-fives of the tipsy crowd, but nonetheless, when one would prefer a humdrum DJ to set the mood over the opener, there’s a problem.
But back to Animal Collective.
The trippy tempo-shift-tweaking on recent -and apt - single “Summertime Clothes,” from January’s Merriweather Post Pavillion, had the entire venue hopping, and the band benefited from a highly familiarized/engaged audience, as the entire joint echoed with the catchy, Beach Boys-esque chorus of fellow MPP track “My Girls.” This audience familiarization was challenged mid-set however as the band, parked behind two large, illuminated booths on either side of the stage, ran through a few of their more obscure-ish numbers, including the freaky-deaky “Slippi,” off 2003’s Here Comes the Indian, the MPP B-side “What Would I Want Sky,” and Panda Bear’s solo track “Comfy in Nautica,” off his critically-hailed 2008 album Person Pitch. The foreignness of these tunes and resulting audience lull was quite evident, as many concertgoers used this time to piss, refill, or spark up. However, the troika was soon redeemed following a remarkably warped rendition of fan favorite “Fireworks.”
One of the best things about Animal Collective’s live shows is the vocal interplay between singers Avey Tare and Panda Bear, with the duo feeding off each other’s strident and catchy yelps and shouts, in beauteous, manic harmony, while aptly-named switch-man Geologist, sporting a mining flashlight over his head, bumped along to the melodies. They did manage to throw one new track into the mix - a clangy, echoing, 3-minute transitional number called “Bleed,” that served as the first song of the encore.
That Animal Collective’s set list has become fairly predictable will irk quite a few of their more dedicated fans, as will the omission of many fan favorites off albums Feels and Strawberry Jam, (namely: “Peacebone” and “The Purple Bottle”) and visuals that pale in comparison to what Grizzly Bear is doing now, but, following the mental rave fest that was closing number “Brother Sport,” which saw Avey working the stage like a certified MC, I think you’d be hard-pressed to find an unhappy camper in attendance.
Chocolate Girl
My Girls
Also Frightened
Summertime Clothes
Slippi
What Would I Want Sky
Guys Eyes
Comfy in Nautica
Fireworks
Leaf House
--
Bleed
Lion In A Coma
Brother Sport
--Marlow Stern [June 1, 2009]
