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Jan 25, 2010 Issue #29 - Year End 2009 - Best of the Decade By Paul Bullock

What an incredible year for Animal Collective! First they release their monumental Merriweather Post Pavilion to near universal critical acclaim. It charts in the Billboard Top 20, a feat nearly unimaginable 10 years ago when the band began releasing albums. Then, they successfully tour all over the place, playing to rapturous crowds. And then, they cap it off with a new EP that contains some of their strongest material to date.

Although some of these songs were recorded during the same sessions as Merriweather by Ben Allen at Sweet Tea Studios in Oxford, Mississippi, none of them feel like B-sides. Fall Be Kind manages to present the same kind of singular statement as their last EP, Water Curses. “I Think I Can” has an undeniable stomping beat and tons of fantastic vocal work. “Graze” begins with what sounds like a section of musical theater exposition then folds over on itself again and again until it disintegrates as a super danceable distorted flute loop and chanting combo surprise with a one-two punch. “What Would I Want? Sky” is perhaps the most impressive track, and not just because it contains the first ever officially licensed Grateful Dead sample, but because it showcases the band’s growing accessibility. If Animal Collective keep making this kind of positive, insanely catchy music, there’s no limit to what they can accomplish. (www.myanimalhome.net)

Author rating: 8/10