We Got Into A Holy Sound

Animal Collective “Gem and I”

Sometimes the more “normal” Animal Collective gets the more their essential eccentricity comes through. “Gem and I” feels somewhat familiar with its cocktail vibe and somewhat kitschy vocal harmonies but the distinctive tics and jumbled reference points of the AnCo players push it firmly into oddball territory. Panda Bear shines the brightest on this one – he’s the one laying down the beat and giving the song an odd sort of swing, and he’s the lead vocalist carrying one of the best melodies the band has written for a while. The lyrics seem to be about Animal Collective as a unit, both in terms of the pleasure of playing together and the challenge of finding new things to say and do while working with the same guys. “Another tip to the golden years,” he sings, more than two decades into this collaboration. “We’re probably in it.”

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