Animal Collective - The Painters (Album Review)

 

Animal Collective - The Painters

(2017)

My copy: first pressing at 45 RPM by Domino Records.

The Painters is a largely unnecessary EP that collects three additional songs from the Painting With era and one cover. “Kinda Bonkers” is a highlight with its trance-like mantras and samples of eclectic instrumentation but suffers from a low bass mix, some painful lyrics and performances and a failure to live up to the layered textures of prior Animal Collective outings.

“Peacemaker” isn’t as offensive as its Painting With counterparts but fails to do anything memorable and the vocal hocketing trick feels like just that: a gimmick that has only become annoying since Painting With is filled to the brim with it. “Goalkeeper” and its manic synth pop flailing is probably the worst track on this EP. There are good ideas here and there, with sputtering electronics and clever samples but most of it held back by an ultra-confined mix that focuses solely on the largely annoying vocals and gives no room for instrumental flare. 

“Jimmy Mack” is the star of this EP and manages to be quite exciting in spite of the corny farting synth bass tone that also stained most of Painting With. A cover of Martha and the Vandellas, Animal Collective’s take on “Jimmy Mack” features a danceable drum performance and Avey Tare’s wildly fun vocal shouts. 

Had Animal Collective just skipped the middle two tracks or tossed them out as free demos of the Painting With era then perhaps “Kinda Bonkers” and “Jimmy Mack” could have been justified as a 7” single, but here I just don’t think it's worth buying unless you are a super fan.

You can get this for under 20 dollars, but don’t do it unless you are a collector.