Soul Food

Animal Collective | 2007 | 10/10
Genre: Psychedelic Pop, Electronic

Take a quick look at the album cover and the title of the album. The filthy slime reminiscing of blood tells you all you need to know. They have taken the scrumptious, eloquent and fresh strawberries just to mash and muddle them to their death. Despite the brutal murder of three strawberries, in this vicious process, the most vibrant crimson liquid pool has been created, staring at the listener, insisting upon itself. 

The sound established on Strawberry Jam is one of the queerest yet convincing ones of all time. In this album, Animal Collective no longer seems like a folktronica band nor an electropop band,  as demonstrated in their album <Sung Tongs> and <Merriweather Post Pavillion>. A cliche saying for all classic albums but this shows clear attempts at experimentation without the loss of identity nor cohesiveness throughout the album in terms of sound and motifs. 

The instrumentation on <Strawberry Jam> is hypnotic and chaotic. Overall, the percussion is paced rapidly, almost to a level where it seems like it no longer acts as a central organising piece of sound but a method to bring out psychedelia within the listener. The use of synth is prevalent and provides a swirling and chaotic undertone throughout the experience, it being the central melody for the listener to follow, most of the time. Lastly, Avey Tare’s vocals are manipulated in different ways for all tracks in the tracklist which acts like a lead instrument or a virtuoso player at times. 

Unlike their previous release <Feels>, the star of <Strawberry Jam> seems like Avey Tare, with his distinctive vocals which are wholly unique and bring a midwest emo-esque ambience to the whole piece, and also the strong lyricism touching on the themes of nostalgia, reflection, and relationships through surrealistic imagery. This change in dynamics has resulted in a much more balanced album, whose balance cuts through the experimentation that might feel excessive

For most Koreans, strawberries evoke a sense of nostalgia and festivity as it is often used to decorate elaborate desserts like cakes and ice cream. For me, I would take my ice cream with a side of <Strawberry Jam>.

Standout Tracks: <Fireworks>, <Reverend Green>, <Peacebone>
Approachability: 5/10
Replayability: 10/10