Animal Collective :: Crimson + UR1 Festival Performance

Surprise! Animal Collective have just released a new single. "Crimson" is available on the B-side of a 10-inch single for "Applesauce," a track from the latest album, Centipede Hz, released in September.

How many of you realized there was a new Animal Collective album out this year? I'm a little disappointed that their latest release, Centipede Hz, isn't getting as much attention, but I'm also not entirely surprised. 2009's Merriweather Post Pavilion is a tough act to follow and Centipede isn't stocked with dance hits like the former.

This is exactly what I like about it. Having spent two months listening to it, I can finally say that I think it's a classic - and I mean that literally because it feels like the Animal Collective from days of old, when they were just a weird experimental freak folk act playing small venues in Miami - anybody remember that one show at I/O? Was it like 2003 or 2002? 

Centipede Hz is dense and cluttered, which is what many music critics site when giving it a mixed score. However, this to me is the Collective's strong point, and a journey back to their roots. It's a pretty crazy album, no doubt but if you're a fan of their earlier work as I am, you'll feel right at home with Centipede.

Definitely looking forward to seeing some of these tracks performed live in Miami next month. The UR1 Festival will have Animal Collective playing alongside a diverse range of artists from all styles of music. It should be an interesting performance, especially if they get a spot right after Kanye West. I've always wanted to see a collaboration between those two!

Check out the crazy videos Animal Collective released. For a time, they had an entire "video stream" of the album with 11 unique animated videos for each track. Too bad it's not available in full anymore because that noise was choice.