"Accessible" is not a word too often associated with Animal Collective.
While the group's new EP, Water Curses, probably will not receive much radio rotation any time soon, it serves as a nice introduction to the unique brand of experimental psych-pop Animal Collective has been churning out with an almost mechanical efficiency in the last few years.
The four-song primer begins with the title track, picking up where the band left off on Strawberry Jam last year. Poppy and frenetic, the varying rhythms of "Water Curses" are confusing at first but quickly make for an engaging song.
Though the alternating vocal production on this track is subtle, the constantly shifting dynamics make this three-and-a-half minute song seem like it's an hour long (and I mean that in a good way).
"Street Flash," the record's second track, is a drastic change in tempo. More similar to the slow-burners found on 2005's Feels -- songs like "Flesh Canoe" and "Banshee Beat" -- than anything on last year's release, it's a well-paced electronic exploration climaxing in the occasional guttural scream with no percussion whatsoever.
Next comes "Cobwebs," an even more deliberate track hearkening back to 2004's Sung Tongs that, now more than halfway into the record, finally allows the listener to catch his or her breath. Here, Animal Collective is in familiar territory, with layered and repeated vocals resting comfortably on a cozy, celestial musical background.
Wrapping up the record is "Seal Eyeing," the only track on the EP that wasn't recorded during the Strawberry Jam sessions. The record's closer begins as a simple piano line beneath a variety of swirling atmospheric electronic sounds but never builds to become much more.
While Animal Collective can really do no wrong at this point, Water Curses doesn't seem to forge any territory the band hasn't already explored -- though it remains in relative sonic wilderness compared to other bands. It's probably unfair to hold Animal Collective to such a high standard, but when you release something as infectious and extraordinary as Strawberry Jam, that becomes your cross to bear. As is too often the case with EPs, Water Curses is ultimately an unsatisfying listen, even if it's unsatisfying only because it's too good to be so short. It's simply a tease, merely holding the listener over until Animal Collective comes out with another full-length.
Water Curses can serve to acquaint new listeners or merely to further whet the already thoroughly whetted appetites of established fans. Either way, it's a good listen on its own, but requires more of the band's catalogue to fully appreciate.
Grade: B+
