Sung Tongs(2004) by Animal Collective
Sung Tongs is the fifth full lenght record by Baltimore neo-psychedelia and experimental pop outfit Animal Collective in just four years. Various members of the collective appear on their albums and it is not much too often the case, that all four of them contribute, in one way or another, to the writing/recording process. It was not until 2003's Here Comes the Indian that they started crediting their records to Animal Collective. Whereas all four members of the band played on its preceder, Sung Tongs only features Avey Tare and Panda Bear, though Deakin also joins the two of them on the tour that follows the album's release. The record lacks the stylistics, that Here Comes the Indian adopted a year ago and goes for a much more minimalistic approach, returning to the collective's roots in folk music. Beach Boys-que vocal harmonies are accompanied by open chords, played on a duo of acoustic guitars, and various percussion. Sound effecs of all kinds are also present, though rarely in the foreground. Devoid of the somewhat juveline sonic experimentation, that is well present throughout most of the collective's earlier output, and with the absence of Deakin's electric guitar, that played a major role in their previous effort, one would expect an album, similar in sound to Spirit They're Gone Spirit They've Vanished, but to a large extent simplified and less abrasive. That's pretty much what Sung Tongs sounds like, it is much more accessible and easy to the ear than anything the Baltimore outfit have released before, though. It is also no wonder by any means, that the record helps Animal Collective gain a much larger audience and bigger popularity. The very abstract, nightmarish soundscapes, that made a big part of Here Comes the Indian and Danse Manatee are now replaced by mostly pretty short pop songs.
Those tracks are actually built upon sometimes unconventional time signatures and rapid changes in dynamics and rhythm. Who Could Win a Rabbit, for instance, variates between 4/4, 5/4 and 3/4 time signatures. Outstanding compositions are the side long Visiting Friends with its droning acoustic guitars and undistinguishable vocals, that is followed by the short excercise in Beach Bys-que vocal harmonies that is College and the stunning child-like outburst of raw human energy and emotion, We Tigers. The songs here, that could easily correspond on a somewhat deeper emotional level with the listener, are Winters Love and Kids on Holiday, without a doubt some of the most beautiful excerpts from Animal Collective's discography. Unfortunatelly, one could feel rather overwhelmed after listening to this record, mostly because of the last three tracks, that obviously lack the fierceness and the genuine character of the other compositions. Damn, Whaddit I Done sounds completely uninspired and out of place, to be honest. The thing is, that Sung Tongs could easily have been a more or less perfect fourty something minutes long record and they wouldn't have had to split it on two LP's, too. The really great thing though about Sung Tongs is, that the album demonstrates, the collective can also be quite exciting, also when not messing with avant-garde, and have the ability to write and perform absolutelly amazing folky/psychedelic tunes. Truth be told, the album deserves all the praise it has received, and while not necessarily exceptional in terms of both structure and substance, it is one of the most stunning and extraordinary pieces of popular music at the time of its release.