Buzz Bin: Animal Collective

I don't really buy hard copies of CDs anymore. Don't get me wrong--I still make an effort to purchase every album that really impresses or moves me. But I've moved so many times over the past five years that hauling around my CD collection was becoming a huge hassle. So last summer I decided to sell nearly every disc I own and burrow even further down the digital rabbit hole--my new record library is entirely electronic. I know this makes me part of the problem, one of "those people" that's partially responsible for the decline of local, independent record retailers, etc. Pushing the bigger issue aside, though, there are still a few bands that I'll always make a trip to the record store for, like Radiohead, The Walkmen, Modest Mouse and, most importantly, Animal Collective.

For my money, Avey Tare, Panda Bear, Deakin and Geologist are making the best and (arguably) most innovative music today. A few days ago, Stereogum previewed and posted the tracklist of Animal Collective's forthcoming album, Strawberry Jam. Brooklyn's finest have been playing most of these songs for over a year now. (In fact, you could argue that their newer "new" material is even more compelling than the Strawberry Jam stuff.) In any event, I've posted some live videos of the band testing out the new material on the road. Keep in mind that there's generally a big disconnect between Animal Collective's live/studio sound, and most of these songs have changed significantly over the past year. The recorded versions of these songs may sound markedly different. But assuming they're even half as good as the live versions, prepare to get blown away by these guys again.

"Reverend Green"


"Peace Bone"


"Cuckoo Cuckoo"


And here's the tracklist. Domino will be unleashing Strawberry Jam this September.

01 "Peacebone" (5:13)
02 "Unsolved Mysteries" (4:25)
03 "Chores" (4:30)
04 "For Reverend Green" (6:34)
05 "Fireworks" (6:50)
06 "#1" (4:32)
07 "Winter Wonder Land" (2:44)
08 "Cuckoo Cuckoo" (5:42)
09 "Derek" (3:01)

(Pete Farrell)