Animal Collective

If pop music is a reflection of our world--of our prevailing fears and desires--then the music of Animal Collective is a beacon received by NASA satellites from somewhere far off in space illumining a civilization there; an olive branch delivered from a tangential plane appearing on radar screens on planet Earth. Those who have their transistor radios tuned just right can intercept the message and revel in it. That this "alien" quartet hasn't discarded the two most basic notions of Western music, meter and melody, makes it palatable, and indeed, enjoyable to us humans.

The sixth album by this neocommunalist, neopsychedelic quartet improves on 2005's Feels,
flashing more shards of tune to lure the coeds with the Coleman PerfectFlow InstaStart
Lanterns over to their adamantly unkempt campfire. The welcoming “Peacebone,” the
energetic “Chores” and the elated “Cuckoo Cuckoo” might get a young leisure
consumer to risk conversion at one of the grotty neoprimitivist orgies their show... More >

The sixth album by this neo-communalist, neo-psychedelic Gotham quartet improves on the model of 2005's Feels, flashing more shards of tune to lure the coeds with the Coleman PerfectFlow InstaStart Lanterns over to their unkempt campfire. The welcoming "Peacebone," the energetic "Chores," and the elated "Cuckoo Cuckoo" might get a young leisure consumer to risk conversion at one of the grotty neo-primitivist orgies their shows are bruited to be. Then again, the ninety seconds of weirded-up organ ostinato that then underlies or swallows three minutes of incomprehensible singing on "Winter Wonder Land" might inspire the same normal to stay home and watch Seinfeld reruns. It depends on how he or she felt about the six-minute centerpiece "For Reverend Green," where the listener strains to hear frontman Avey Tare rave, "I think it's all right to feel human now." Great, really. But didn't we know that already? (Grade - ***)