ANIMAL COLLECTIVE – Water Curses EP
Posted by AlMachine on Tuesday, April 29, 2008

One thing that’s always certain about Animal Collective is that no two compositions ever quite manage to sound the same, meaning that even after half-a-dozen or more listens, you’re still unsure of what to expect next.

Which is all good, as its this element of surprise that has transformed Animal Collective from cult sensations to the genuinely thrilling entity they’ve become today; an outfit truly ensconced in creating some of the most passionate, uplifting and totally unique music you’re likely to hear anywhere on the planet today.

This four-track EP is essentially three leftovers from last year’s critically acclaimed ‘Strawberry Jam’ LP and one brand new composition. What makes it even more enticing is the fact that the songs supposedly not good enough to make it onto said album all resonate with the intent of a band at their most creative, which can only hint at amazing things to come in the future.

‘Water Curses’ itself is possibly the most song-like piece in the most typically structured sense of the word, while ‘Cobwebs’ and ‘Street Flash’ are experiments in sound that bring to mind Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd jamming with the earliest incarnation of Spacemen 3 somewhere in Haight-Ashbury’s underground vortex.

The sole new composition, ‘Seal Eyeing’, meanwhile, is perhaps the most straightforward in terms of Animal Collective’s previous output of the four here, meaning it sounds like everything you’d ever want to hear and nothing you will have done before.

Enthralling, in every possible way.

9/10

Dom Gourlay



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