Animal Collective // Centipede Hz // September 3 // Domino

Few success stories over the last few years have been as heart warming as that of Animal Collective, a group of four individuals who have always made music that was floating high above the ground while the members seemed to be among the most down to earth people you could ever imagine being in a band. Sung Tongs, Feels and Strawberry Jam are all classics that lead to the one and only Merriweather Post Pavilion, probably the greatest psychedelic pop record of the last decade. It feels like the story is complete so what do Animal Collective do now? In Centipede Hz they are releasing their most grounded record yet.

Centipede Hz is once again showcasing that unmistakable Animal Collective sound but of course it sounds nothing like any album the band released before. Think of it as a combination of Strawberry Jam and Prospect Hummer EP. It’s much more guitar oriented now that the elusive Deakin is back in the frame. Centipede Hz has that rock band feel to it, it’s the first Animal Collective album since Sung Tongs to truly feel organic. It is psychedelic, no mistaking that, but that effect is achieved through the everything-at-once instrumentation which puts Centipede Hz among the busiest and more difficult records by the band, quite a feat considering that Centipede Hz has some of the most pop moments by the band. Today’s Supernatural might sounds an outburst of extroversion but it has its own set of hooks. Tracks like Moonjock and Monkey Riches work in similar ways, reminding me of the busy pop moments like For Reverend Green or Flesh Canoe from the earlier albums. Applesauce is perhaps the most simplistic pop song the band has ever wrote. It’s nice that band known for being “that weird band for hipsters” can write a simple pop song, and hey, it’s not like the hooks are weak either. sThe whole of Centipede Hz was first premiered through something called Centipede Radio, a bunch of internet based transmissions that featured sets of music from each group member and which culminated in the worldwide listening party. The members have said how Centipede Hz is much more grounded than few of its predecessors. The band feel tighter and more back-to-basics too. The record uses real drums and Wide Eyes also features lead vocals from Deakin, his first for the band. Centipede Hz feels like something you would call a debut album, there’s a certain learning curve to the music on here. There’s pop songs, there’s the more psychedelic tracks, the shoutier tracks and the dancier moments. It’s quite impressive just how many sounds the band can try out while still working inside this new sound. Not everything sticks to the wall though. Father Time and New Town Blowout both are not psychedelic enough to survive without anything that sounds like a structure, ending up being too spineless. Mercury Man and Pulleys suffer from coming after Monkey Riches which is one of the best Animal Collective songs period. The only negative thing about the closer Amanita is that it’s not as good as Brother Sport but face it, nothing is.

Stream the album here.

The songs on here are interrupted by radio static and cut up commercial breaks. Radio breaks and static is something really basic and almost vintage in the internet age but at the same time it feels natural while not being a material thing. That’s the case with Centipede Hz, a record that has its feet on the ground while raising its hands to the sky. It’s a record that celebrates simple things, a record that is meant for dancing in the muddy fields instead of floating in space. Centipede Hz is meant to connect people and think about it, you know how people say that album leaks removed the excitement of waiting for a record to come out? How about an excitement of listening to it for the first time with the whole world. Even with couple of white spots on it, Centipede Hz is as exciting as anything the band has done and the technique to premiere it is vastly superior to just waiting for the release date or the inevitable leak. At the end of the year we will think of albums that brought us good memories, albums that united the planet for an hour or so. Centipede Hz will top that list.