Banshee Beat - Animal Collective (2005)

i don't know what it is. that's probably a good starting point.

if there are such things as favorites, this is my favorite Animal Collective song. if you know what the sublime is, this song is it.

and no, it's not just because it's one of the band's longest songs. it has to do with how this song FEELS.

i'm trying to be eloquent about this, but it's coming out terse.

how fitting, i continue, that it comes to how this song FEELS, because that's the name of the album you find it on. this whole song just FEELS good. it FEELS like head nodding. it FEELS like dancing, swimming, climbing, loving. it makes me want to stretch my arms out, kiss the Earth, hug the solar system, and inhale the whole universe like a delicious sea breeze. you couldn't take enough bong rips to FEEL the way this song makes you FEEL. i want to mail a letter to the President asking him to listen to this song. i want to ask you to listen to this song because i want you to tell me if it's even remotely possible to experience happiness without sadness. i want you to tell me if it's possible to love without feeling a chill run down your spine. can you hug the solar system without burning your belly button?

'Banshee Beat' FEELS like life. 'Banshee Beat' is life. it's sublime.

it doesn't start with a wailing, panning guitar or tribal drumming or a wave of distortion or dazzling, psychedelic strings... no, no, no, it starts with a whisper of a strum. reverberating whispers of strums. crackling.

a man's voice. also reverberated. a hint at a piano. reverberated.

guitars coming from all sides now. whispering. walking past us talking about something. piano tones growing and dying. crackling. crickets. chirping. crackling

the man's voice stops and something starts happening. the crackling, chirping, strumming, ripping, tapping, all that noise grows in intensity. it gets braver. it approaches you, face to face.

the guitars sidle this way and that. and the voice comes back.

a booming bass drum.

every line he sings = every chill i feel.

So I duck out, go down to find the SWIMMING POOL
Hop a fence, leave the street and wet your feet to find the swimming pool
Cause when I'm snuffed out I doubt I'll find a SWIMMING POOL
Hop a fence, leave the street and wet your feet to find the swimming pool

every line he sings = every chill i feel.

the rhythms by now are at full speed, the guitar is strumming along lazily down its own reverberated river, ah ah ah ah.

every line he sings = every chill i feel.

So I duck out, go down to find the SWIMMING POOL
Hop a fence, leave the street, and wet your feet to find the swimming pool
'Cause when I'm snuffed out I doubt I'll find a SWIMMING POOL
Hop a fence, leave the street, and wet your feet to find the swimming pool

every line he sings = every chill i feel.

cue monkey sounds.

listen. download. buy.