Strawberry Jam

1. bonefish
2. WHEN YOU LOOK huh huh huh AT ME, WITH YOUR GREEN EEEEEYES
3. If I, if I, if I, if I, if I, if I
4. Oohohoooohohohoohoho HHEEEYYAAAAGUUUURLLLL oh ooooh oh
5. that i'm the only all I seeeeeee sometiiiiimmmmeeeeesssssss
6. PlEaSe ReSpEcT ThE CaNdLeS In A LiNe
7. BUT INSIDE IM OKAYYYYYYYYYYYYY oooooh oh oh
8. (The piano and instrumentals playing at 1:00 on "Cuckoo Cuckoo")
9. What do youuuu What do youuuu What do youuuu What do youuuu

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It all comes down to preference when listening to Animal Collective. But for me, 'Strawberry Jam' is their most gratifying record. Even more-so than 'Feels', which is already a satisfying listen in itself!

'Strawberry Jam' is a psychedelic pop and neo-psychedelia soundscape that takes all the experimentation from past Animal Collective records and merges them together to form nine songs, all of which have different stories to tell. "Peacebone", the most eccentric song on the album, is a song about staying in the present. "Fireworks" is one of the best songs of the 2000s, thanks to its uplifting and playful sound, and that's song is about finding meaning in love! "Derek" (or the song that should have been long) closes the album with an homage to a dog that has passed. Even songs that I don't even like that much, like "#1", have interesting lyrics; that one is about the trials and tribulations a boy has to go through in his life! All of this creates a bizarre experience where all the songs feel connected despite having different themes, mostly in part to having similar genres. (Or I could've said it was Avey Tare and Panda Bear working their magic, but I guess both would've worked.)

Moreover, the differences between 'Feels' and 'Strawberry Jam' makes the Animal Collective discography all that more impressive. "How so?," you might ask. Well, I appreciate the artistry of people, musicians in this case. So it happens that unique entries in a musician's discography is one of the things that I care about. It's part of the reason why I haven't listened to The White Stripes's music yet. (This is a poor example because while their music looks monotonous on the outside, they may have interesting sounding songs on the inside for all I know. For the sake of example, I'm using it anyway.) And with Animal Collective, just these two releases are enough to let me know that they are on the top of their game when it comes to music-making. With 'Feels', Animal Collective takes sounds from nature and psychedelia and turn them into a soothing nature-walk. Experimentation is there, but it was barely used for energetic purposes. 'Strawberry Jam' throws the calmness and nature recordings of 'Feels' out the window. Instead, it uses unorthodox song structures combined with accessible pop hallmarks to create exciting songs. And with 'Feels' and 'Strawberry Jam' appealing to different moods, fans can turn to either one of them! Toss in 'Merriweather Post Pavilion', and you've got yourself one of the most interesting album line-ups of the 2000s.

While it's my second favorite Animal Collective album, 'Strawberry Jam' is an astounding piece of art, and I might consider getting this over 'Feels' for my CD collection first. It's just that good, you know?

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Tracks Ranked:

1. Fireworks
2. For Reverend Green
3. Winter Wonderland
4. Peacebone
5. Unsolved Mysteries
6. Derek
7. Cuckoo Cuckoo
8. Chores
9. #1

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Track Ratings:

Peacebone: 95
Unsolved Mysteries: 90
Chores: 70
For Reverend Green: 100
Fireworks: 100
#1: 60
Winter Wonderland: 95
Cuckoo Cuckoo: 80
Derek: 90