LIVE REVIEW :: ANIMAL COLLECTIVE @ THE ASTORIA 2

Current mood: IN THE ZOO...
Category: IN THE ZOO... Music

Going into this gig, I knew next to nothing about Animal Collective, except that they were about the only band my current favourite act they came from the stars i saw them have been regularly compared too...

Yes boss, when the uncomparable are comparred, you have to go looky see, so I did and here's what i saw..

Rescheduled from the main big booming Astoria to the Astoria 2, this show was packed out. Even so (or perhaps because so), the bouncers were nice enough to allow me to sneak in a unscheduled *star and it was therefore almost on the nail of the Collective coming out to play, that we found ourselves perched atop the rather peculiar balcony that circuits the top of the room ready to cast a critical eye..

To be honest, I felt that Animal Collective made a slow start - so slow that the first half hour seemed to consist of a slightly more modern and synthesized version of a very long Spacemen 3 track.

Now, to be frank this didn't grab me at all. I was wanting so much more than something that had been adequately covered some years in the past with a lot less gear, and as the minutes ticked by, I expected a cacophany of drums or a fat bassline to kick in and whisk the whole thing to another more energetic and modern level..

I waited and waited, but for a good long while nothing came...

"There's no problem here these boys aren't even close to the stars" we agreed


Had I have had something else to do, I might have been tempted to leave at that point, but I didn't and I'm glad I didn't, because towards the middle of the set a peak - a wave, started to build and I felt a litttle foolish for judging the Collective so soon.

I guess this is the peril of getting used to smaller gigs where the length of a set is almost always less than an hour and often no more than half that - if nothings kicking off by 20 minutes you write them off and think about what comes next and what's happening at the bar..

So, what started to happen in the second half was the slow build up of crescendos, rhythms, layers, louder vocals and tunes. The music took on a power that the more ambient and directionless earlier jamms hadn't had. There were grooves and even faint hooks. It wasn't dance time, but the music was definately good...

Vocally, Animal Collective are wierd. They have a penchant for screaming and sometimes it seemed like a get out for want of another voice or vocal option. The strange thing was that their screaming doesn't have the aggression screaming usually does. What I mean is that the tracks remained quite mellow, pleasant and ambient despite the fact some blokes bellowing his throat into a microphone..

On a purely visual level, I thought Animal Collective most vividly resembled a modern day Beastie Boys - 3 clean cut New York boys jamming away exploring sound, but soundwise they're not even close. No boss, unlike The Beastie Boys, the Collective appear to be very unlikely to stray into novelty hip hop pop which could be considered a shame..

Musically I would draw a line around and through Spacemen 3, the earlier quieter side of Spiritualized, a touch of Suicide, edges of Can, and a whole bunch of other stuff thrown into a blender..

As for the comparisons with they came from the stars - I couldn't see anything much similar between the two acts except that both are difficult to pigeonhole. The stars are a pop disco party band who occasionally drift into longer musical jamms.Animal Collective are a band who appear to revolve around long musical jamms and have very little interest in pop music any which way.

So, all in all it was difficult to nail Animal Collective into anykind of convenient box..

But, to be difficult to compare is the point and it's this that drew me in at the gig and has continued to draw me in as I've explored the AC records in the two weeks since...

Animal Collective are clearly follwing their own muse and not trying to sound like anyone else, they're tricky and difficult and that's the main reason I most definately give them a general thumbs up..

Currently listening : Sung Tongs By Animal Collective Release date: By 01 June, 2004

10:18 - 6 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove

	Clinker	I love Animal Collective but as yet haven't seen them live. You must be surprised listening to the records then , cos they sound nothing like Spacemen 3 or Spiritualized, do they. I can see a link to TCFTSIST, but thats it...a link. I think its fair to say if you like Animal Collective, you'll probably like TCFTSIST. Psychedelic and experimental. Similar influences, I reckon. Posted by Clinker on Friday, November 16, 2007 at 12:34 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :	I think the feel is similar even on record - the meditative, repetitive, drone thing.. I suppose I could go with a link between them and the stars of a few years ago and as the stars appear on the new old LP - but I think the modern day stars are pop-miles apart from AC... Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on Friday, November 16, 2007 at 12:39 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	Titus, Paloma's English Bulldog	i've subscribed. happy now mothertrucker?? Posted by Titus, Paloma's English Bulldog on Saturday, November 17, 2007 at 17:46 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :	WOOF!!! Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on Monday, November 19, 2007 at 10:41 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	The Van Allen Belt	i love animal collective. the most interesting thing is that they tour more like a comedy act than band, in the sense that they play the songs live BEFORE the record. i remember the avey tare and panda bear days thinking this was america's answer to canada (the real rock capital of the 00's). but sung tongs is the album that puts them on the map. Posted by The Van Allen Belt on Monday, November 19, 2007 at 03:20 [Remove] [Reply to this]

: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :

I'm still an amateur with the records. I have a couple of 12" and the most recent album.. Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on Monday, November 19, 2007 at 10:43 [Remove] [Reply to this]