“An obsession with the past is like a dead fly.
And just a few things are related to the old times.”
In between their two best records, Feels and Merriweather Post Pavilion, Animal Collective created a variegated oddball of a record called Strawberry Jam, released the same year as AC member Panda Bear’s highwater mark Person Pitch. A lot of cross pollination occurs between the two albums (closer ‘Derek’ sounds like a solo Panda track), but to these ears most of the gems went to Panda’s album, while the rockers and less palatable tracks got plopped onto the AC album.
The influence of Brian Wilson’s acid trips circa The Smile Sessions become a constant and clear inspiration, where before it was veiled behind the experiments of the band. They also seem to have listened to Syd Barrett and some of the less polished Modest Mouse albums. For the first time, though, the mimicry of the Beach Boys’ vocal stylings seems too intentional, and maybe a bit manufactured; almost like they are trying to filter their creativity more than before. Which is unfortunate, because even though their experiments sometimes (okay, many times) got away from them on earlier albums, their unhinged creativity and childlike exploration are the main selling points. The songs here are almost—dare I say it—formulaic, albeit based on their own unique formula. They lack the raw soul and energy present on previous releases.
The most noticeable departure from previous records is that Strawberry Jam is relentlessly confrontational and in your face, so to speak. There isn’t as much breathing room as on previous albums, sonically speaking, and it clogs things up and makes it feel overstuffed with lackluster ideas. I think part of it has to do with how the vocals are mixed, but I’m not entirely sure if that pinpoints the issue. The album is buoyed by strong individual tracks but the troughs in between them are glaring and leave a bad taste in my mouth.
There’s a little nugget of avante garde weirdness called ‘#1’ midway through the album. It begins like a minimalist piece from Terry Riley or Steve Reich with descending synth lines that don’t quite line up which creates a disorienting effect. The beat doesn’t line up with the synths either, and then Avey Tare adds an odd effect to his voice and he and Panda Bear sing simultaneously. It’s an incredibly difficult track but rewarding once it finally clicks.1 They audaciously performed it live on Conan O’Brien’s late night show.
It’s an uneven experience, but it is still a cohesive, pop-oriented effort that surpasses their early efforts without reaching the band’s full potential.
Favorite Tracks: Peacebone; For Reverend Green; #1.
1. Maybe this tells me that some of their other difficult pieces deserve endless repeats until I “understand” them.