'Painting With': A Sun-Lit, Woozy Psychedelic Pop Swirl

“Wander from the cynical/ Take a look at views atypical”—a couplet from “Hocus Pocus,” the second track on Animal Collective’s new album, is perhaps the best distillation of the AnCo philosophy. Amidst the careerism and millennial anxieties of the 21st century, the band has defined itself by carving out an ever-evolving sonic terrain that foregoes the traditional pop structure for forward-thinking, loose experimentalism. Given this history, the creation story behind “Painting With” seems uncharacteristic of the group. Why pay tribute to the tight structure of the ’70s punk band the Ramones’ eponymous debut? Why record the album in the same studio where Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and The Beach Boys’ “Pet Sounds” were made? What is with the baby pool, lit candles, and projected dinosaurs that form the backdrop of the production room? Are Animal Collective committing indie music’s cardinal sin of going pop, or did they lose their mind on another one of those psychedelic camping trips?

The answer is akin to the album: They walk the narrow line between accessibility and madness. Though AnCo has abandoned the melancholia of their poorly dubbed dad rock masterwork “Merriweather Post Pavilion” and the sprawling song structures of “Sung Tongs,” they are far from producing anything that sounds remotely like mainstream pop music. While the songs tend to follow a traditional verse/chorus/verse structure, they contain, among other things, a bizarre news clip about highways being clear of dinosaurs, fuzzy electronica, jazzy bits of piano and saxophone, robotic vocals, and even a tongue-in-cheek sample from “The Golden Girls.” As layered and experimental as the album is, it moves at such a swift pace and has such gorgeous melodies that the chaos of it all does not overwhelm the listener. One is almost compelled to nod along to, the springy, unifying lead single “FloriDada,” which lead vocalist Dave “Avey Tare” Portner described in an interview with Pitchfork as a reaction to “the negativity and separatist attitude” that pervade America today.

Other standout tracks include the snappy, jazz-inspired “Lying in the Grass,” a song in which form reflects lyrical content. It is a song about lifting the veil to find hidden nasty truths, and its somber message is coated in euphoric, warm harmonies until it fades to the dissonance of a dying machine. The song “On Delay,”—the title of which seems to be a contradictory pun on the Spanish term “andalé,” hurry up—brings to mind the glimmering synths of The Postal Service’s song “Such Great Heights” and builds into one of AnCo’s most stunning vocal arrangements since “Merriweather Post Pavilion.” “Golden Gal” features yet another dazzling vocal performance by Portner, serving both as an attempt to empathize with an objectified woman and as an expression of Portner’s deep-rooted admiration for her strength. The only lackluster track on the LP is “The Burglars,” which begins as a promising meditation on a childhood fear, yet drowns underneath the song’s overworked production.

But as delightful as the songs on “Painting With” are, they cohere mostly because of their energetic pace and repetitive structures. Thematically, the album is a hodgepodge of ideas, which is perhaps to be expected for AnCo, as their widely praised “Sung Tongs” is reminiscent of the kind of sparse music one would expect bearded twentysomethings to produce while passing around an acoustic guitar, a drum, and a water pipe. Yet “Painting With” as a whole fails to reach the same heights. “Sung Tongs” gave the listener ample time to soak in its transporting acoustic soundscapes; “Painting With” breezes through its beautiful, disjointed harmonies. The experience is certainly enjoyable, but it lacks the powerful thematic resonance of an album like “Merriweather Post Pavilion” or its inspiration, “Pet Sounds.”

The net effect of the album is one of mixed feelings—moments of it are very strong, but on the whole it feels more like an appetizer than a full course meal. Nonetheless, that appetizer is something to marvel over. Enjoy “Painting With” in the bite-sized parts it serves, and the experience will not fail to delight.