Strawberry Jam

Q - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[The] songs are fabulous hybrids of lo-fi psychedelia and ecstatic drone-pop..." The Wire - "Avey's crawling, traumatic 'Unsolved Mysteries' is the best ballad he's written yet, and the chants of Panda's 'Derek' is a stroke of gentleness the group rarely achieve." Uncut - 4 stars out of 5 -- "It makes them sound like The Beach Boys beset by a sudden, and very poignant, revelation." Alternative Press - 4 stars out of 5 -- "The freakiest freak-folk is rarely as freakish as the more disorienting triumphs of STRAWBERRY JAM..." Spin - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[Those pure, keening melodies are evident...but you can also hear the pop faith that underlies them -- the belief that a bright, catchy melody is a sacrament for us all." Spin (p.98) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[Those pure, keening melodies are evident...but you can also hear the pop faith that underlies them -- the belief that a bright, catchy melody is a sacrament for us all." Q (p.94) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[The] songs are fabulous hybrids of lo-fi psychedelia and ecstatic drone-pop..." Uncut (p.83) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "It makes them sound like The Beach Boys beset by a sudden, and very poignant, revelation." Alternative Press (p.160) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "The freakiest freak-folk is rarely as freakish as the more disorienting triumphs of STRAWBERRY JAM..." The Wire (p.49) - "Avey's crawling, traumatic 'Unsolved Mysteries' is the best ballad he's written yet, and the chants of Panda's 'Derek' is a stroke of gentleness the group rarely achieve."

Eighth album from New York-based experimental rockers Animal Collective. A masterclass in experimental psych-pop, this album is yet another chapter in the continuing story of one of America's best kept indie secrets. Includes the tracks 'Unsolved Mysteries', 'Winter Wonderland' and 'Cuckoo Cuckoo'.|

さあ、どうしよう。この最高にイカレた音楽を、どのように伝えるべきか。本気で表現しようとすれば、膨大な文字数を要する情報量の作品である。ただ本質のみを抜粋するなら、アニコレ流〈ポップでキャッチーな作品〉というほかにない。ノイズと呼ぶにはあまりにも意思が明確な音塊、グルーヴと呼ぶにはあまりにもプリミティヴな打楽器の轟き。錯乱したようにループを繰り返しながら、音がモアレ状に拡散する上で自信満々に絶唱し、絶叫する。楽しそうであればあるほど聴き手の不安を誘う、倒錯した童話迷宮である。アニマル・コレクティヴの2年ぶり、ドミノに移籍してからは初のオリジナル・アルバムにして最狂傑作が誕生した。楽しければ踊ればいいし、気持ち悪ければ吐けばいい。そういう一枚だ!
bounce (C)冨田 明宏