The Habits Of Your Mind

Animal Collective @ Prospect Park 8/14/2009

What Would I Want Sky / My Girls / Who Could Win A Rabbit / Summertime Clothes / Slippi / Chores / Daily Routine / Bleed / Fireworks / Brother Sport // Lion In A Coma / Guys Eyes / Leaf House

Animal Collective “Brother Sport”

I am not sure what I thought this show would be like, but I definitely did not expect it to be anywhere near as fun as it was. I believe that a lot of my enjoyment was a direct result of being up in the front, surrounded by people in their very early 20s who were so cute, silly, and guilelessly enthusiastic about the band and their music that it was impossible not to throw yourself into the experience with an equivalent level of joy and excitement. I had previously harbored the suspicion that AnCo fans were among the most obnoxious people in the world, but now I just want to see everything with these kids.

The Animal Collective come off badly when filmed. The songs seem sloppy, sometimes outright butchered, and it’s hard to get a feel for what the guys are doing, or what they are even shooting for in terms of aesthetics. It makes perfect sense in person, though. It’s part hippie singalong jamboree, part “experimental” happening, and occasionally something akin to straight-up electronic dance music. They mainly play electronic instruments, but they avoid and/or rebel against sterile programming, doing as much as they can to feel loose and unpredictable despite the nature of their instruments. They’re not the first band to attempt this sort of thing — their opening act Black Dice was essentially a dire worst-case scenario — but they may well be the best, and by far, the most melodic. This music connects because the band have a gift for writing tunes that shines even when they’re doing their best to obscure it. Unsurprisingly, the audience responds best to the songs with the boldest tunes — the straight-up synthpop of “Summertime Clothes,” the overwhelmingly lovely harmonies of “My Girls” and “Guys Eyes,” the playful dizziness of “Leaf House,” and the life-affirming euphoria of “Brother Sport.”

Even when the band are very inscrutable and perverse, the music conveys a very genuine love and empathy, and a total lack of cynicism. This may sound horribly corny to some of you, but just hearing some of these songs is like getting a big hug when you desperately need it, and in the context of a concert with a dancing, singing audience, that feeling is even more intense. Halfway through this show, I got some very bad news. I couldn’t have been in a better place for that moment. Yes, I was kinda lost through “Daily Routine” and a bit dazed for “Fireworks,” but “Brother Sport” was precisely what I needed, and in paying attention to the lyrics now, shockingly literal in its relationship with what I am actually experiencing.

Buy it from Amazon.

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