Awesome!!! I love Animal Collective, and a new album from this always worth celebrating. There've been no true slip-ups once Sung Tongs came around. Centipede Hz, while not pleasing everyone, still had way more cool ideas than most bands ever have. Bet this one'll be a rowdy campfire fantasy.
Oh, my god, you guys, I feel the same. I've obsessively listened to Art Angels all week. I keep having this weird feeling of being proud of Grimes. I don't know her, so I know that sounds silly. But for me, I had shaky expectations, and now that I realize what Art Angels is, I think she actually destroyed anything I dreamed of. I even think this is much, much stronger than Visions (and that's a great album!).
But "Butterfly" is what I'm talking about with feeling the same. I've been listening to that song before I fall asleep, and it's also my alarm in the morning. It's one of my favorite pop songs of the year! There's truly NO weak track on the album! It's a true feat of songwriting, and it's so damn fun! How cool would it be if Grimes really became the pop star she deserves to become. Because with Art Angels, she's proven that she can aim huge, kill, and maim it.
I think this is the album Lady Gaga wanted to make when she made Art Pop.
Everything by Joanna Newsom is perfect; why pick it apart? She's the greatest lyricist of our time by miles. She lives in a different world that we are lucky to peer into.
Doggone it, she went for it, and it works. Those of you above with song-by-song lists are killing it. This is a pop album with a thousand ideas, and it's pretty thrilling. She's all over the place. Kawaii!!
Hahaha, ouch. Well, I mean, it's clearly part of that whole world of polished, big budget, pop. And judging by a lot of the other players in the game right now, Carly Rae is on top.
Been listening to E*MO*TION again recently, and it really is the best radio pop album of the year. Bet on that.
And Empress Of is the best best indie pop album.
I've been driving my car to "Flesh" a bunch right now (and TYLS/Divers/Fading), and it makes me want to roll down the windows and car dance. I've gotten super into it! This song is going to be a great car song, too; I'll have to drive somewhere on Halloween to play "Scream"...this song is bonkers.
Majorette- The way the sounds layer [kiss of chimes at :24} and then give way to Victoria’s voice. The sighs that pan from left to right at 2:32 are heavenly,
and the echo of of "watch it spin like that" is a wonderful way to conjure a dizzy delirium of bliss.
She’s So Lovely- From the buoyant outro of Majorette comes the romantic funeral chug of this dark, slowburning hymn. Victoria sings of a femme fatale-like beauty with mysterious mannerisms. The build and comedown of the final 30 seconds end the song really well.
All Your Yeahs- Really obsessed with this song. Again, Victoria sings of a mysterious she who possesses a certain magic: she’s a "rollercoaster and a "fire in the night." Love those images. This one is dark like She’s So Lovely, but it totally opens up at 2:32 and regains the light of Majorette as Victoria empowers us, “it’s your life; do you right.”
One Thing- Another song that chugs away, lost in its own drugged out groove.
Yet again, Victoria continues the lyrical motif of female admiration, but she grows more abstract in her descriptions of mirrored reflections and shared likenesses that make me picture Bergman’s Persona. The guitars in the last minute of this song elevate it from good to greatness.
Common Girl- Oh, baby, this is the third in a trilogy of songs; Victoria metaphorically threw a stone into a stream, and that stone first skipped upon Auburn and Ivory of the self-titled album and then Wedding Bell of Devotion and now this Common Girl. This song is light and airy with some rather wistful singing from Victoria (punctuated occasionally with the thunder of a drum pound that keeps it anchored nicely). It’s a great way to catch our breaths after the steady rhythms of the first half, giving way to an even stronger back half.
The Traveller- This song, at first, echoes the dirge of One Thing, but it shatters that with the blissed out organs/synths at 1:20, coupled with some of Victoria’s most beautiful vocal flares yet. The title evokes ephemerality, and so does the imagery of Saturn turning and candles burning and invisible futures you might be able to touch. This song could be sung by the speaker of The Road Not Taken right after he or she took the road.
Elegy to the Void- The title is Beach House in a nutshell; I love it. And the lyrics again conjure ephemerality: flames burning out and disappearing in mirrors.
The song has all the heavenly layering of Beach House’s best, but the fuzzed out stabs at 2:42 bring in some nice distortion that transform this elegy into something more cathartic. Victoria ends the song lullaby-like as if to suggest that surrendering to the Void can come with a sigh.
Rough Song- Despite the title, this is actually one of the most mellow songs on the album. It picks up nicely after Elegy’s long fadeout and begins the two-part romantic bounce of the last two songs. I just love how Victoria sings "vodka cocktail party" and "ribbon in the windy distance." I also love the sounds at 2:08. What instrument is that? Things do get sinister though. Getting spit on, bloody noses, suggestions of abuse. Victoria sees totems in the night, wanting to "forget / all the wasn’t right." Most notable is the sound of a knife being sharpened at 3:20, which persists to the end. The sound of a triangle joins in, providing relief.
Somewhere Tonight- And then we have the grand finale, one that hearkens back to Devotion. It’s a waltz for a ballroom wedding dance. Victoria wants us to find elation, and it’s simple to do with the song’s joyous, almost surprisingly so, high organ notes. They are Sunday morning church sounds for a 2 am daze. The vocal delivery here reveals that Victoria is still finding new ways to use her instrument. Compared to the dark desire and longing in the first half of the album, Somewhere Tonight is a delight. Victoria sounds relaxed, ethereal, and hopeful; here’s where she seems to thank her luck stars.
I am slightly relieved to love Thank Your Lucky Stars as much as I do and know I'll fall harder with more listens. For some reason, I'd prepped for this to be a more minor album, but it's a classic like all of the others!
Can someone confirm...the only full leak is of the vinyl rip, right? I'm waiting (listened to the three released once) til it's out in its intended quality.
And I'm pretty excited!
When I was student teaching, I used "Anthems" in my poetry section. Turned the lights off and had everyone focus on the words. It was very moving, and the class really dug it.
Probably shouldn't add that I also used that song during my first time (along with In Rainbows). But I said it, and it's true, and it was perfect!
OK, I don't wanna sound weird, but these songs sound like they're being sung by a real sex witch.
For example, the entirety of Kassida El Hakka...but especially when Natasha's orgasmically shrieking her way through the song...it's badass.
Comments