There were some other odd criteria that I stuck to as well. I didn't include live albums; only studio recordings. I did listen to all of the group's EPs, but couldn't use that as an "album" (i.e., I had to listen to both an album and an EP in one day in order to listen to an EP). I also watched the group's visual album ODDSAC, but... I'll get into that another time.
After the first few albums, I found myself doing this out of genuine enjoyability rather than proving my fandom. Yet, at the end of it all, I felt the need to write about it. So, this article will serve as a comprehensive guide to all things Animal Collective in terms of my opinions. I'll deliver a brief summary of each album/EP, pick my favorite song from each, rank all of the albums and EPs, list my top 10 favorite songs, and put together what I believe to be the ultimate Animal Collective playlist. So, let's start at the beginning.
ALBUM SUMMARIES AND FAVORITE SONGS
Spirit They're Gone, Spirit They've Vanished (2000)
I can't think of Animal Collective starting anywhere other than here. They blend pretty much all of their styles into their first outing. Experimental vs. freak folk, electronic vs. acoustic, understated vs. overblown, etc. Despite the sometimes abrasive electronic elements that take some time to warm to, this is one of AnCo's most accessible albums. It really works as a cohesive whole in terms of sound and lyrical content, but isn't as strong in individual songs. Don't get me wrong, I do love a few songs on here (April and the Phantom and Chocolate Girl are easily my favorites), but this album needs to be heard in full in order to get the full experience. As for fan favorite Alvin Row: I'm not a fan of the first few segments, but the final part of the song is nothing short of majestic.
Favorite Song: Chocolate Girl
Danse Manatee (2001)
Hoo, boy. This album. Every AnCo fan will tell you about this album. And, frankly, they're not wrong. Danse Manatee is by far the most abrasive and inaccessible Animal Collective album. I feel like this is the type of album that takes numerous listens to ultimately sink in, but, on first listen, it came off as incredibly distant and cold. Here AnCo introduces their main juxtaposition of chaos and structure (at least, organized structure), yet the chaos is in the forefront. Many of the songs here are an odd jumble of pieces that never really come together. But, when they do, such as on Essplode, they work in a sort of flash-in-the-pan mentality: fleeting, yet a glimpse of what could have been.
Favorite Song: Essplode
Campfire Songs (2003)
After the abrasiveness of Danse Manatee, Campfire Songs hits like whiplash. To go from overcrowded tracks to this stripped down affair is nothing short of an about-face, yet shows how easily Animal Collective can change their style but keep their identity. Like Spirit before it, though, this is more of an album album than it is a collection of songs. The group recorded the entire album in one take and you can really tell how much each song depends on and leads into the next. It's nowhere near as memorable as Spirit, but you could easily throw this album on in the summer as good background music (except for Doggy which, while it is a great standalone song, will turn everything immediately depressing and kill any sort of easygoing, relaxing mood).
Favorite Song: Doggy
Here Comes the Indian (2003)
And, just when the structure of Campfire Songs seems to win out, the chaos takes over again. I'll admit, it works better here than it did on Danse Manatee, but the dense sound often lets much of this album die in the mix as opposed to letting the various sounds carry their own weight and stand out. Much of this album is memorable, though, such as the captivating opener Native Belle, or the dense yet insanely energetic Slippi. It's not the best Animal Collective album by a stretch, but it's well worth a listen and has its fair share of highlights.
Favorite Song: Slippi
Sung Tongs (2004)
Oh, sweet Christ, this album. In my opinion, this is the closest Animal Collective has skirted with perfection. The sound is clearly defined and omnipresent throughout the album. As a whole, it's one of AnCo's most cohesive efforts, yet every song stands up on its own. The freak folk is at the forefront here, with a bit of electronic and assorted audio effects thrown in. It's fairly structured, especially in Winters Love and Who Could Win A Rabbit, yet delves into the chaotic every now and then with success, such as the intoxicatingly addictive We Tigers. This was one of the few albums I listened to a second time after I went through every album once, and my opinion of it only improved. There's something to like in almost every song and rewards multiple repeat listens with the layered audio. Of all of Animal Collective's albums, I cannot recommend this one enough.
Favorite Song: Winters Love
Prospect Hummer (2004 EP)
If there was ever anything with Animal Collective's name on it that didn't at all sound like Animal Collective, it's this EP. Here, they collaborated with Vashti Bunyan, a British folk artist, resulting in her getting signed by the group's record company. I haven't heard anything else by her to go by, but this alone makes me want to do so. She's at the forefront of this EP, but it has such a unique and laid-back sound to it that you can't help but enjoy it. (Side Note: I found AnCo's EPs to be much more consistent in terms of quality than their albums; if you haven't listened to any of them, rectify that right now.)
Favorite Song: Prospect Hummer
Feels (2005)
The transition between Sung Tongs and Feels is probably the least jarring in Animal Collective's career. Like the former, Feels is mostly understated, even at its most exuberant. Both Grass and The Purple Bottle are clear examples of this, providing a sense of livelihood and upbeat energy unmatched in the rest of the group's catalog. The latter song is the album's, and possibly the band's, greatest triumph, turning something as simple as a love song into a shouted statement of excitement and longing. Even though the second half of the album is mostly muted, the energy comes back full force in the closer Turn Into Something, which really showcases why this variant on the album's sound is the superior one.
Favorite Song: The Purple Bottle
People (2006 EP)
For me, this is the weakest of AnCo's EPs mostly due to how little it carves out its sense of identity. One could argue that it's yet another variant on the style the group used for Sung Tongs and Feels, but it feels like a lesser being. The EP doesn't do anything that's objectively bad, making it difficult to criticize, but it doesn't do enough to wow. Even the EP's highlight, Tikwid, is simply good without the charm or memorability of its predecessors. Like the rest of the group's EPs, it's worth a listen, but isn't nearly as memorable or identifiable as its colleagues.
Favorite Song: Tikwid
Strawberry Jam (2007)
"Bonefish." This is the sole word that opens Strawberry Jam, and the electronic cacophony that follows quickly indicates an abandoning of the stripped down nature of the previous two albums. That's not to say it's a bad thing; the album is quite cohesive, but much of the songs seem to fall into the background as quickly as they end. However, despite that aforementioned noise bombardment at the beginning, Peacebone is an excellent and catchy single that sounds like nothing else the group has ever done. (It's one of the few times Animal Collective actively emulates another sound/style rather than craft their own, something they would later do for Lion in a Coma.) Fireworks works quite well off of a choppy guitar part and drums that sound like they're signaling some kind of war-time battle. Avey Tare's vocals, clearer than usual, also do wonders on this song, his screams and high notes hitting harder than they do most of the time. Even though it works quite well as an album, I'm not sure that I've come around to it just yet. Call it preference, but it doesn't quite have the same effect on me as the rest of the group's albums do.
Favorite Song: Fireworks
Water Curses (2008 EP)
If the last album's opening track wasn't strong enough, the title track of this one is practically guaranteed to sell you. The electronics here are hypnotic and the vocals catchy beyond belief. The song gets absolutely irresistible at around 1:50, where the song subtly shifts to an energetic and frenetic chorus/after-chorus/chorus structure. It's absolutely golden. The rest of the EP holds up well, keeping this identity strong throughout, but nothing can match the masterful introduction that begins this one.
Favorite Song: Water Curses
Merriweather Post Pavilion (2009)
And now we've hit the big one. Animal Collective commercially and critically broke through with Merriweather Post Pavilion, by far their most mainstream album to date, and for good reason. With songs as catchy and memorable as Summertime Clothes, My Girls, and Bluish, you really can't debate the success of this album. Yet, it doesn't hold the same effect on me as it did for everyone else. Sure, the electronics on this album are by far the most refined from the group to date and many of the group's best songs are on here, but it doesn't flow nearly as cohesively for me as it does for others. (For example, I do enjoy the song Lion in a Coma, but I feel like it belongs on another album.) However, any qualms I have with this album are instantly whisked away by the flat-out stunning album closer Brother Sport, one of the most triumphant and uplifting songs I've heard from the group (discounting The Purple Bottle, of course). The energy, catchiness, and upbeat nature win me over unlike anything else in this late stage of Animal Collective's career (and in absolutely no way having to do with the fact that, like the subject of the song, my name is Matt).
Favorite Song: Brother Sport
Fall Be Kind (2009 EP)
If the rest of Animal Collective EPs were only just a journey to get to here, this journey is worth it. This EP is by far the most concentrated and cohesive of its kind, maintaining it's ethereal, muted electronic feel throughout. Practically every song is a highlight in its own way, but special mention must be made of the exuberant What Would I Want? Sky, which makes liberal use of the first(!) legal Grateful Dead sample in its second half. This sample is everything a sample should be, respecting and acknowledging the source while making itself all its own. The lyrics on this one are some of AnCo's strongest as well, fitting the misnomer they've created from the sample perfectly. If any song can serve as an example of this EP's execution, it's this one.
Favorite Song: What Would I Want? Sky
Centipede Hz (2012)
Controversial Opinion Time: I like this album more than Merriweather Post Pavilion. A lot more. This may come as a shock to those who feel like Centipede Hz didn't live up to the potential of Merriweather, but, in my mind, I feel that Merriweather came close to, but didn't quite reach, the heights of this album. Like Sung Tongs, this album expertly balances cohesion of sound (entirely electronic with emergence of guitar every now and then) and memorable standalone songs. The album is a blast to listen through the whole way through due to the constant transitions with a sort-of radio static theme and the songs change just enough to seem different without coming off as jarring. I'm actually quite astounded as to why this one didn't get much praise (other than the obvious inevitable letdown due to hype), as it remains strong the entire way through, from the catchy Today's Supernatural, to the hypnotizing and captivating Monkey Riches, up until the excellent closer Amanita. I can't really think of anything negative I can say about this album and, for those who can, I advise listening to it again with open ears, because that is how Animal Collective is best experienced.
Favorite Song: Amanita
ALBUMS RANKED FROM BEST TO WORST
- Sung Tongs
- Centipede Hz
- Spirit They're Gone, Spirit They've Vanished
- Merriweather Post Pavilion
- Feels
- Strawberry Jam
- Campfire Songs
- Here Comes the Indian
- Danse Manatee
EPS RANKED FROM BEST TO WORST
- Fall Be Kind
- Water Curses
- Prospect Hummer
- People
TOP 10 FAVORITE ANIMAL COLLECTIVE SONGS
- The Purple Bottle
- Prospect Hummer
- Water Curses
- What Would I Want? Sky
- Fickle Cycle (from the Grass single)
- Brother Sport
- Winters Love
- Amanita
- Who Could Win A Rabbit
- Bluish
MY ULTIMATE ANIMAL COLLECTIVE PLAYLIST (IN ORDER OF SONGS' CHRONOLOGICAL APPEARANCE)
April and the Phantom
(Untitled)
Chocolate Girl
Bat You'll Fly
Essplode
Doggy
Slippi
Leaf House
Who Could Win A Rabbit
Winters Love
We Tigers
Prospect Hummer
Grass
The Purple Bottle
Turn Into Something
Fickle Cycle
Tikwid
Peacebone
Fireworks
Water Curses
My Girls
Summertime Clothes
Bluish
Brother Sport
What Would I Want? Sky
On A Highway
Today's Supernatural
Rosie Oh
Monkey Riches
Amanita
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