Day 28 – Swimming with a Collective of Animals
The continuing adventures of “Eric’s Trip Around the Sun”. One final trip with the iPod.
The psychaedelic sounds of Animal Collective are not always an easy listen. Pick up Dense Manatee, for example, and there are more shrilling sounds that will make your eardrums pop. As the band has matured there have been moments of pop splendor, however, in the midst of their growth, I always felt they began to feel their groove around ‘Sung Tongs’, which themeatically I have always found as very childlike.
The follow-up, ‘Feels’ is slightly more mature, and yet there are still some themes about being a youth that are being explored here.
‘Banshee Beat’ is one such song. It feels like an emotional breakup of sorts from the prospective of an adolescent. The protagonist here is dealing with the emotional issues of having a partner that did not seem eager to connect and the protagonist dealing with these, in relative rock music lyrics, fairly appropriately. It wasn’t a Morrissey breakup. The powerful nature of the song is through the rhythm.
Yet, if you listen to the opening of the song, there is a nervous tension throughout. The 8-plus minute track begins with a constant pulse that remains constant through the first couple minutes of the song.
Music at its very best relays that emotional breakthrough of sorts when the protagonist breaks free of the power or spell of this relationship.
So I duck out and go down to find the swimming pool
Hop a fence leave the street and wet your feet to find the swimming pool
Caused when I’m snuffed out I doubt I’ll find a swimming pool
Hop a fence leave the street and wet your feet to find the swimming pool
The presentation of the vocals as well as the theme of feeling, suggests that even bad feelings are better then no feelings at all. The swimming pool above suggests life and the ability to feel.
Animal Collective’s gift beyond the music was their ability to transcribe these childlike feelings to mean something for an adult.
• Le Butcherettes – Bang
• Crystal Castles – Baptism
• Beach Boys – Barbara Ann
• Apples in Stereo – Baroque