Album review

Anyone familiar with Animal Collective’s blend of folk, psychedelic, melodic, and mind-blowing music knew not to expect anything “normal” when their visual album ODDSAC, produced by director Danny Perez, was about to be released. Juxtaposing Animal Collective’s ever-changing musical taste with the visual aspect of the film could be a recipe for disaster or a wonderful experiment in album making. What the viewer gets out of watching ODDSAC depends on his or her opinion of the Collective’s music style.

ODDSAC is not for those who listen to Animal Collective for the first time. Much of the music harkens back to bands that are more noise-based than the recent poppy precedent of Merrriwether Post Pavilion. While there are a few tracks that showcase the band’s harmonized side, such as “Lady On The Lake” and “What Happened,” the bulk of ODDSAC is noise-centered in its approach. Although this may have something to do with the “plot” of the movie, which resembles something like a B-horror movie bathed in a shimmering psychedelic aura. The director Danny Perez perfectly sets the visuals to the music of Animal Collective, and all the participants in the movie look like they are in the movie.

Starting with firebenders moving amongst themselves and a lonely girl trying to stop a wall from leaking black liquid, ODDSAC gives us vampires, lots of brilliant colors and textures, a disturbing family camp scene (not to mention the main “plot” moments), pulsating dots that change color, a lone drummer on a rocky field, and a maniacal man with a red body dressed in a towel that is depicted in the movie at some points. A true coherent story may or may not exist, but it should not detract from the true greatness of ODDSAC, the music. The Collective creates some of the most abstract textures they’ve ever created, such as in “Mr. Fingers” and “Fried Camp,” and utilize the wonderful voices of Avey Tare and Panda Bear to great effect in ODDSAC. The beautiful acoustic sounds of “Screens” washing over a lonely vampire floating on a lake contrast beautifully with the pulsating colors and noise of “Urban Creme” that follows immediately after. It’s this type of strange combination that makes ODDSAC fun to listen to and an amazing force to behold. The sweet, sweet music as a lone solitary figure walks across the rocks collecting a scattered drum kit is torn apart by loud, heavy pulses of sound until it finally moves into an epiphany of drum-led sound.

It is this demonstration of dynamics, frequencies, as well as visual hysteria and psychosis that make ODDSAC interesting to watch and listen to even for experienced Animal Collective fans. It’s within the scope of what the band has done before, and yet it’s something else. Perhaps it’s the visuals, but ODDSAC’s music just feels like the band is evolving. It’s not borrowed from any of their albums, but instead from each one, whether it’s the simple dynamics of Spirit They’ve Vanished, the melody of Merriwether, or the atmosphere of Fall Be Kind, ODDSAC sees Animal Collective firing on all cylinders and with the help of Danny Perez, creating something that is all encompassing, dynamic, stupidly weird, but also incredibly beautiful. There’s something unsettling about hearing a beautiful, simple song as a woman washes her laundry in water and then seeing that same woman and her family die a short time later, but yet in the context of ODDSAC it seems more natural than grotesque. It’s just another day in this strange, strange country that Animal Collective dreamed up.

ODDSAC is a whirlwind of noise, melody, visuals and enough color to fill a kaleidoscope. Animal Collective and Danny Perez have created a “visual album” that pushes the boundaries of both aspects and creates something beautiful, terrifying and mysterious. It’s something that demands much more than one viewing and should be a staple in any Animal Collective fan’s collection, as well as in the collection of music, film and art fans in general.