My Stash Of Jams

Animal Collective “Moonjock”

Centipede Hz is like one of those Magic Eye posters – at first, it’s hard to find its form in its treble-heavy clutter, but once you acclimate to its tonal range, you “see the boat,” and from that point onward it just sounds like a bunch of pop songs. Or, at least, Animal Collective-style pop songs. That said, while I’ve had some time to live with the record and its melodies have sunk deep into my brain, I’m still not crazy about its tinny frequencies and near total lack of low end. It makes the album unnecessarily exhausting, even when played on a good stereo. The sound of it makes sense on a conceptual level, though – the band is emulating the sound of radio, and seeking to capture that feeling when you’re a kid and you’re still figuring out what music is and it all sounds a bit strange and alien. “Moonjock” makes this theme explicit in the lyrics, as Avey Tare recalls going on family trips in his childhood, and listening closely to tapes and radio signals on a Walkman in the back seat. I strongly relate to this memory, and also to its odd balance of idealizing a shared moment with his family that coincides with a totally private experience with headphones. They perfectly capture the spirit of this in the music, which conveys a sense of adventure and imagination, but scaled down to something small and safe.

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