By Duncan Harrington
“It’s hard to just kiss our child games goodbye”
Through dense, psychedelic atmospheres, Animal Collective’s debut album Spirit They’re Gone, Spirit They’ve Vanished manages to perfectly capture many of the difficult feelings surrounding growing up. The opening track “Spirit They’ve Vanished” wonderfully introduces the listener into the album’s blend of melancholy and whimsy. Vocalist Avey Tare’s poetic lyrics about the loss of childhood friendships is accompanied only by surreal, droning synths, making it by far the most minimalistic track on the album.
From the next track onwards, the record settles into more conventional song structures while still experimenting with noisy, abstract, and psychedelic textures. Tracks like “April and the Phantom” and “Chocolate Girl” show the duo’s ability to create more pop-oriented songs with their sound, while the somber piano ballad “Penny Dreadfuls” shows a more stripped back, melancholic side of the band.
It’s also worthwhile to mention the impeccable drumming from percussionist Panda Bear, which fills each track with a sense of wild, childlike freedom. However, the crown jewel of the record takes the form of the closing track, “Alvin Row”. At a staggering length of nearly 13 minutes, the song is a multi-part epic that encapsulates all of the album’s themes surrounding leaving childhood behind. “Alvin Row” is possibly the duo at their grandest, almost feeling theatrical at times.
The last line of the record perfectly sums up the heartbreaking reality of growing up:
“My singing voice is gone!”
Spirit They’re Gone, Spirit They’ve Vanished is a beautiful album. Both abstract and conventional, heartbreaking and comforting, childlike and matured, it represents the awkwardness of growing up.
