Avey, Panda Bear, Geologist, and (for the first time since 2006) Deaken will not stop freaking out. Although it can already be streamed in full online, Animal Collective’s ninth album Centipede Hz is due on September 4 and looks to channel more chaos then past recordings. Keeping in mind that Animal Collective was during many of its pivotal years located in New York, “Today’s Supernatural” truly sounds like it was written during a time where Wall Street was occupied by protestors urging for change. Spiritually pulling one off the couch and out the door, the first phrase of the song stutters “Let go” in what could sound like a nag to consciously wake up.
Such aggression coming from a band that played such a vital role in the flowering of the psychedelic indie music of today makes the change to such serious tone even more intriguing. Remember the pure joy of “Sweet Road,” the samples of the children. Is Animal Collective asking the passives to stand up and get aggressive? “Sometimes it won’t come easy, but sometimes you’ve gotta go get mad” feels far away from the youthful play of an album like “Campfire Songs,” yet Animal Collective has always seemed pretty mad to me.
Other areas of the new album do contain more of the colorfully deranged gayness of past Animal Collective moments. Texturally, Centipede Hz contains a diverse kaleidoscope of sounds, and the band cited radio commercials or “forgotten transmissions that are now lost in space and broadcasting music from other planets for other life forms” as current influences. Such transmissions can be heard in the intro of “Today’s Supernatural” and heard interrupting many other spaces of the album. Spooky vibes are present in this particular song, with a rather cryptic organ panicking throughout. Panning phase begins at 2:40, whooshing and whistling around the skull comparably to ghosts. Go to the Animal Collective website and listen to the recently established Animal Collective Radio where band members take turns steaming their newest mixes for free.