Animal Collective – 'Peacebone'

An odd song by most people’s standards, in the realm of Animal Collective (a band whose line up is in a state of constant flux) ‘Peacebone’ will perhaps be received as one of their more accessible moments.  Kooky American art-rock isn’t for everyone, but someone out there obviously likes it as the band is on its eighth (eighth!) album, the forthcoming Strawberry Jam. ‘Peacebone’ is a hybrid of grunting, malfunctioning synths which somehow join up neatly to a pounding beat and abstract lyrics, recalling early Flaming Lips as if fronted by a deranged Coner Oberst.  Punctuated with twee backing vocals and the occasional blood curdling scream, the track meanders in a fashion that will unsettle some and make perfect sense to others. B-side ‘Safer’, however, is a more avant-garde proposition altogether - nine minutes of twinkling pianos, utterly random echoing effects and crazed-preacher ranting. Not for the faint hearted.

Released 13/08/07 on Domino Records