Strawberry Jam - Animal Collective

Animal Collective – a band that can be defined as indefinable. Their usual sound, which mixes poltergeist vocals with idiosyncratic droning and stomping, is expansive as it is nebulous. There seems to be no limit to what these four New York based musicians can do.
Strawberry Jam, Animal Collective’s newest album, is no exception to this theory. Following the vastly eclectic and youthful Sung Tongs, Strawberry Jam offers us a more “grown up” sound. But that doesn’t mean it’s boring. In fact, Strawberry Jam is extremely exciting to listen to. In the opening “Peacebone”, bits of circus music are even included. And throughout the album, Avey Tare’s peculiar vocals can be described as euphoric and almost buoyant.
My personal favorite track, “Fireworks”, sets a complex mood – romantic, yet doubtful; longing, yet uncomplaining. The melody, as layered as the mood, is one of those that you can’t get out of your head for days – weeks even! Quite simply, it is beautiful. The lyrics speak about celebration and the appreciation of little things.
It is important to note that during their evolution from manic juvenility to brilliant maturity, the long, wistful buildups so familiar to Animal Collective have been dropped entirely. This is neither a good nor bad thing, but nevertheless marks a crucial point in time. It is the beginning of a new era.
Some critics point out that, although outstanding, Strawberry Jam is too “Pitchfork-esque”. “Pitchfork” itself is an online musical hegemony, dictating much of teens’ present-day musical choice. Critics suggest that Animal Collective has adapted it’s sound to suit Pitchfork reviewers because, unfortunately, a good rating on Pitchfork means a good rating by most of the indie population. Whether this notion is true or not is up to the listener to decide, but I disagree with it. I believe Animal Collective is a truly talented group of musicians who do not make music for the sake of popularity, but for the sake of beauty and immortality. This is the kind of music that people will still listen to in four hundred years.