I was prepared, at least I thought I was, for whatever Animal Collective were going to through at me with Centipede Hz. I had heard their (excellent) prequel in the form of the "Honeycomb/Gotham" single and that style (along with naming an album Centipede Hz) should have been clear enough clues as to the new album's direction. But "Today's Supernatural" still manages to surprise.
It might be the way the band manages to slip into their old style so easily, as if the beauty they made on Merrieweather Post Pavilion was a one time occurrence. More so I think it is due to how "Today's Supernatural" is a "return-to-form" (if that is an actual quality you could attach to Animal Collective), but it's that old sound in hyper drive. "Today's Supernatural is the band's manic tendencies on to even more twisted extremes; right from the first few seconds a you are hit with about eight different sounds at once, from twisted synth lines to Avey Tare's contorted lyrics to a stock pile of different whirls and effects that pop in and out seeming at random to give that feel to that song as a whole. Tare's vocals are definitely something to behold, with all the desperation and anger just gushing out. By the time his final lyrics come he's howling them, over the din of rising noise, but that just heightens their intensity rather than muddling it. "Today's Surprises" presents Centipede Hz as a more than likely crazy world, filled with dark strangeness and painful emotions encased in bizarre and difficult songs. Meaning that Centipede Hz is going to be one hell of an album.
Links:
Animal Collective's Website
Pre-order Centipede Hz here, from Domino Records
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