[Online Exclusive]: Review: Animal Collective finds wild presence on stage

To a fan who has only encountered Animal Collective’s
harmonious, mellowed-out studio recordings, the group’s
raucous live show is overwhelming.

Unlike merely listening to the brilliantly layered mellifluous
sounds on their albums, the group’s live incarnation
incorporates head-spinning visual and audio elements, as well as an
unfettered tribal energy. Combined with a dark, eerily lit stage
and the four band members maniacally dancing and pummeling
everything in sight, Animal Collective’s performance at the
El Rey Theatre on Nov. 22 was nothing short of phenomenal.

A New York City-based group formed from childhood friendships in
Baltimore, Md., Animal Collective is comprised of Avey Tare
(guitar/lead vocals), Panda Bear (drums/vocals), Geologist
(electronics/vocals) and Deakin (guitar/vocals), who all perform
under stage monikers.

Although the members are notorious for performing under
different names and varying configurations, their Nov. 22 show
““ one of only three U.S. tour dates ““ was a rare
appearance of the full band, blowing the audience away with a live
set that was equal parts indie-folk and performance art.

The eccentric yet mediocre performance of the opening band Amps
for Christ left the audience restless and yearning for an
extraordinary opening. Animal Collective started off
disappointingly, beginning with a seemingly desultory performance
of the lengthy “Banshee Beat” from their recently
released album “Feels.”

However, following the opening song, the group entered a more
natural habitat as Geologist began matching dark, heavy, synthetic
beats with the shadowy stage lighting to smoothly transition into
an unreleased new song titled “Chores.”

At that point, the band’s surreal synthesis of hues,
rhythms, layered sounds and spinning melodies began to emerge.
Unlike the band’s comparatively quiet, sleepy recordings, its
live performance quickly became loud and wildly visceral as
“Chores” evolved into a jarring acoustic and visual
assault.

Panda Bear furiously drummed while standing and shouting booming
vocals into his mic. Tare periodically retired his guitar to pound
on Panda Bear’s cymbals. Geologist employed every sound
imaginable on his mini-disc recorder. And Deakin hunched in the
corner furiously unleashing a string of melodic chants and
background vocals.

The rest of the show contained an assemblage of recent songs,
such as “Grass” and “Flesh Canoe,” older
favorites such as “We Tigers,” and even some of their
lesser-known tracks, such as “Reverend Green.” Though
the majority of the set focused on songs from “Feels,”
the band meticulously crafted a set that neither focused too
heavily on the well-liked songs nor clustered around the old and
obscure.

The highlights of the night were “We Tigers” and
“The Purple Bottle.” As soon as the band started
coaxing into the mad jumble of screaming that comprises the
“Sung Tongs” track “We Tigers,” the
audience broke into a riot of jumping, throwing up hands, and
whooping alongside the band. Both Deakin and Tare abandoned their
guitars and unhinged their mics for the chorus, while Geologist
left his machinery and Panda Bear nearly pulverized his three-piece
drum set as the cymbals came crashing down mid-song.

Shortly after, the band succeeded using a cover of The Grateful
Dead’s “We Bid You Goodnight” to transition into
their energizing performance of “The Purple
Bottle.”

The audience created circles of frenetic tribal dancing among
the crowd while screaming the lyrics along with Tare. Accordingly,
at the end of the song, all four members dropped their respective
instruments and merged with the crowd in screaming the final lyrics
“Get that! Whooo!” as everybody danced around in a
hysterical entropy until that final “Whooo!”

After the show, those who returned home to their speakers and
headphones doubtlessly found the records to pale in comparison with
the live show. Animal Collective is a beast that belongs in the
wild.

-Hae Jung Shin