Animal Collective: "Time Skiffs" (Album Review)

Genres: Neo-Psychedelia, Psychedelic Pop

Animal Collective’s eleventh studio album, Time Skiffs may not be the band’s most revolutionary release, but they continue to experiment and push their sound in a new direction. Although it is a relatively laid-back and relaxing listen, the album is still positively psychedelic, and gripping in its bursts of explosive power.

Time Skiffs is built much like a prog-rock record, with buildups to powerful and grand moments. These moments are easily the most compelling of the album. Hearing the bridge of "Prester John", or the chorus of "Strung With Everything", makes me feel the same passion that Animal Collective made these songs with. The focus on these wonderful harmonies should not take away from the other parts of the songs. The sense of playfulness and wonder on a track like "Car Keys" is almost childlike. What’s not childlike, however, are the palpable textures and layers in which the melodies are wrapped in. 

Time Skiffs is a monumental album for Animal Collective fans, as it marks the return of guitarist/keyboardist Deakin after six years. Despite this, there is no “return to form” from a standpoint of familiarity. Forgoing the guitar almost entirely, Deakin’s presence on the album is centered as a keyboardist. Similarly, other band members tackled the creation of Time Skiffs in ways different to what they normally would. Working in such a way may have been awkward, but it did bring a sense of freshness to the album that is clearly recognizable.

Compared to other Animal Collective works, lyricism takes a few steps back on Time Skiffs. This works surprisingly well for the album, with the lavish instrumentation being pushed to the forefront. Although I don’t think the lyricism is incredibly dense on Time Skiffs, especially when compared to an album like Strawberry Jam, I definitely don’t think it is “bad” either. The ever-present sense of mystique is kept throughout the album, alongside depictions of  daily life. Being able to paint portraits of scenes in some ways that are unorthodox has been a skill that is seen all over Animal Collective work, and Time Skiffs is no different.  Lyrics that stand out to me from "Strung Out With Everything" are, “You know I would not be afraid, with your head against my shoulder. And even though all hearts are strange, we're all strung with everything”. The sense of pure joy and hopefulness shown in the face of opposition through classic Animal Collective oddity brings out such a visceral reaction from me. The lyrics play their part to help draw out a genuine response of positivity and good feeling, which is just wonderful.

The lower points of the album are shown when there is a lack of direction. When I’m listening to a song like "Passer-by", I find myself wondering: What is the “point”? Listening to "Walker", it feels as though the song simply begins and ends. That is not to say that the song is without substance, but there is just not any real discernible identity it carves out for itself. Despite there being new sounds that are worked with, there are times where these sounds don’t feel as if they are being developed. I’m fine with slower paced songs, but there shouldn't be a feeling of aimlessness and stagnancy. Experimentation works best when new elements are added to purposely create something to and make a statement. Even experimentation just for the sake of experimentation is a solid reason to work with, but there are times throughout the record where these new elements feel as if they are simply sitting there, and not capitalized upon. Thankfully, this is a problem that I feel like is not obnoxiously significant on the album, but it is definitely noticeable enough to point out.

Even after nearly twenty years of working together formally, Animal Collective remains a group of explorers, unafraid to try something new and venture into the realm of potential sounds. While this doesn’t always result in a positive outcome, the work being done to truly create something brings an intangible quality to the music. Animal Collective has never been a group to play it safe. This means that there is constantly some risk involved in any musical endeavor they do, but I really think there is also true beauty in that fact. With each new release, also comes a recontextualization on what “Animal Collective” is. This is, in part, due to the band’s willingness to not just do anything, but to do everything. I would be hard-pressed to quote Animal Collective as having a signature sound, and the addition of Time Skiffs to the band’s discography only makes this more evident. The continued pursuit of looking to the future and never getting too comfortable is just another way the band is an interesting group to keep an eye on.

Favorite Tracks: Strung With Everything, Prester John, Dragon Slayer, Cherokee

Least Favorites: Passer-by

Enjoyment: Low 7

Critically: Mid 7

Arbitrary Number: 7.4