Concert Review: Three animals and the collective conscious

Animal Collective
September 30th
Union Hall
https://www.myanimalhome.net

It’s a rare occurrence when Edmonton receives a visit from indie royalty. However, one such stroke of luck brought the acclaimed, experimental pop outfit Animal Collective to town this Friday. I was dismayed, then, to walk into Union Hall an hour after doors and find the room mostly empty — surely one of the most celebrated indie acts in recent memory deserved a better turnout than this?

My concerns were somewhat relieved, as the gaps in the floor were filled with a respectable crowd over the next hour. Despite the moderate turnout, there was a noticeable crest of energy as Animal Collective’s Avey Tare, Panda Bear, and Geologist took their place behind three banks of electronics, immersed in an impressive array of projection-mapped visuals. The trio wasted no time, promptly weaving together a vibrant patchwork of sound that went largely uninterrupted for 90 minutes, proceeding more like a DJ set than a series of individual tracks.

The majority of the set consisted of songs from Painting With, a blessing or a curse depending on your feelings towards the group’s latest record. Personally, I erred on the side of curse. One of the appeals of Animal Collective’s live show has been their ability to modify songs on the fly, so hearing their weakest output recreated exactly as on record was a slight disappointment. The long transitional passages connecting the set were often more fascinating than the songs themselves, and the quality of the show seemed dependent on how well integrated the tracks were into these free-flowing stretches. Case in point, highlights “Daily Routine” and “Kids on Holiday,” which each sprawled into nearly ten minutes of transcendent ambiance.

Animal Collective are nonetheless a premier live act, and drawbacks aside, kept me wholly engaged through the numerous peaks and valleys of their performance. Hearing the room erupt to the lively gurgles of “Summertime Clothes” was a potent reminder of their enduring appeal to the imagination. The group is most powerful when creating unique sonic ecosystems, and I was more than happy to be welcomed into their world. Let’s just hope they have a better turnout next time. If there is one.