ALC16 #1: Animals by Not Waving

[mickilennial]

[Grzywa]

I've listened to it about 5 times now and find it rather compelling. It's really diverse for a basically electronic album. 24 scares the shit out of me, Tomorrow We Will Kill You has a trace of the most mantra-like Joy Division tracks (The Eternal and Autosuggestion come to my mind), Face Attack goes electro punk and Work Talk reaches out to some industrial noises.

Contrary to some other views, I think the ambient track halfway through the album works well as a sort of half-time intermission. They Cannot Be Replaced is pretty much what you would expect from a closing track, maybe a bit too obvious musically, but the spoken word about evolution seems poignant to me at the end of this weirdly fascinating evolutionary offshoot.

Thanks for throwing light on this one. So far my album number 2/3 this year, right behind Bowie and up there with Howes.
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Always shouts out something obscene

[Pentagonal]

Often the first thing I do when I approach a new album is (briefly) ponder the title and cover. It's our first clue about what the artist intends to express and often hints at the kind of listening experience we're likely to have with it. In this case, the title and cover seem to point in opposite directions. On the one hand, we have "Animals", a word that could either point to a non-human animal theme or, more likely, an exploration of our animal nature. On the other hand, we have an abstract with sharp-edged geometric figures, clear signifiers of the kind of high-level thought that distinguishes us from the rest of the animal kingdom.

So which does it sound like? I'd say both; in fact, I'd argue that the contrast between our animal nature and our role as cogs in an industrial/post-industrial society is the main theme of this album (several times it made me think of 2001: A Space Odyssey) . Throbbing acid house beats are at the forefront for most of the album's length, creating a distinctly inorganic atmosphere, but humanity is always present. Sometimes the human element is very literal, with vocal tracks faintly calling out over the mechanical rhythms, while other times I hear it in the noise...

Several people here noted that the album sounded scattered. While it's tempting to point to the variety of genres that they tackle, for me the most jarring shifts are between tracks that seem to bemoan our loss of humanity and those that seem to embrace it. Nowhere is this shift more apparent than between "Gutsy" and "Face Attack", as Tap already pointed out. I'm still not sure if I perceive this as a flaw, however... I know I'm conflicted about my place in modern society and the way the album alternates between feelings of isolation/alienation and empowerment is definitely familiar.

Anyway, I'll keep listening and see how much it sticks. Two listens so far and I'm really enjoying it.

[Tap]

Hm Pentagonal I don't know if I share that exact interpretation so much but I really like it, that's a cool way to look at it. It does seem like something like that is behind the significance of the last track. And there is definitely something to these bold shifts here like from Gutsy to Face Attack that do seem key to what the album's character. Like I got to looking at tinkering with this but the more I looked at it the more it was like "ah I can't break that". So what I did was just take the bonus track 28 and stuck it right after Gutsy. They're kinda similar tracks and I think it extends the vibe in a way that makes the change hit a bit harder maybe? I dunno, I think I like how it works this way tho. But yeah I thought about trying it without the ambient break in the middle but it felt like it'd be really damaging to do, like the way it brings in distorted guitar tone towards the end it makes it not just a breather but an important variation on what is going on elsewhere on the album.

[Pentagonal]

[Pentagonal]

For an alternate interpretation of this album, below are some interesting snippets from the Quietus review. They draw a lot of parallels to Italian horror, but seem to acknowledge the jumpy nature of the work with what they describe as "contradictory melodrama" or "waving and drowning". Where I associated the horror/unease with alienation, they see it more as an existential crisis, perhaps rooted in nihilism.

[meccalecca]

I've listened once (nearly twice), and so I'm not entirely ready to weight in, but so far I do agree with the general consensus that there's a certain lack of consistency but it's overall a good listen with some strong tracks. I feel odd saying that though since I generally prefer a good amount of variation, but maybe the variation on Animals just needs more fluidity.
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http://jonnyleather.com

[Norman Bates]

Bookmark post to remind me I have to listen to this.

EDIT: good stuff, this. Very easy on the ear; indus techno that would sound acceptable to my grandmother. Immediately catchy and pleasant while trying to summon up various forms of former avant-garde elements from various periods of electronic music history. The calculation can sound a bit artificial or cynical, might be, works still.