Animal Collective - Sung Tongs (Album Review)

 

Animal Collective - Sung Tongs

(2004)


My copy: 2008 limited reissue by Fat Cat Records.


Animal Collective’s second full-length record is a nearly hour-long trip that combines freak-folk and musique concrete with an abundance of pop vocal harmonies. Another duo effort between David Portner and Noah Lennox, the two have totally stripped back the bright shimmering explosive sound of Spirit They’re Gone, Spirit They’ve Vanished and replaced it with warm, stereo layering so as to wrap the listener fully in blankets of sound. 

“Leaf House” sizzles like brightly colored pop-rocks candy before enveloping listeners in a mesh of call and response vocal yips. Clearly borrowing from pop staples like The Beach Boys, Lennox and Portner are not afraid to get weird with their spastic vocalizations. “Leaf House” builds to a climax of voices before cascading gently back into the syncopated acoustic guitar. The production is warm but delightfully snappy and full. “Who Could Win A Rabbit” is a frenetic chant with sing-song vocals that alternate between whimsical woo-ing and frightening hisses. 

“The Softest Voice” breaks the pacing a bit but builds a loving bed of lush instrumentals and falsetto melodies. “Winters Love” is a fan favorite, with bold vocal harmonies that filter 60s pop music through an acid-soaked lens before breaking out into a joyous acoustic chord progression that would fit perfectly being played next to a campfire deep in the woods. “Kids On Holiday” may have the most pop appeal as Portner’s reassuring lyrics sing the praises of friendship over waves of distortion and mesmerizing guitar. 

“Sweet Road” is a cutesy interlude with fun samples and smart use of dynamics. Truly a masterpiece is the nearly 13 minute expedition that is “Visiting Friends,” an uncharted sea of layered guitars and sound effects, all colliding in a blissfully noisy harmony. The production allows certain psychedelic elements to poke and prod their way to the surface amidst the waves of guitar and vocals, and bassy percussive pops are organically mixed in from unconventional sources (slamming doors, banging wooden surfaces, etc.) 

With Sung Tongs Animal Collective had proven their rich creativity, and shown an insatiable desire to make no two albums sound alike. “College” and “We Tigers” are mostly vocal focused interludes where the latter is the most percussive and primal sounding track. “Mouth Wooed Her” makes genius use of tempo changes and dynamics to jolt listeners between crooned passages and stuttered gasps. The final three tracks are perhaps the most surreal, and likely will frustrate listeners who are new to freak-folk. “Good Lovin Outside” is tongue in cheek innuendo accompanied by atmospheric samples with instrumentals that lull and bounce all about. 

The biggest experiment on the record is the patience testing “Whaddit I Done,” a goofy collection of vocal repetitions that are sung through an effect that sounds uncannily like Donald Duck. With time and meditation, even a song like “Whaddit I Done” shows immense bravery and a respectable dedication to toying with expectations. 

    Sung Tongs is a really amazing, one of a kind record that only comes about once a lifetime: it is only held back by some chaff and inconsistent pacing. With this record, Animal Collective moved from being seen as some weird guys banging on instruments and screaming in basements to well respected artists with clear skills in production and arrangement. Sung Tongs often vies for a place as Animal Collective’s best, and I could truly see great arguments for that ranking, but to me it’s not quite as focused and rich as Spirit. That said, Sung Tongs will continue to influence open-minded dreamers for years and years to come.

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