Well, no, this will NOT be everyone's cup of tea. However, if you like Aphex Twin's musical reductionism, Squarepusher's disjointedness, Radiohead's stream-of-conciousness poetry, and Matmos's then-remembered melodic fragmentation, you will ADORE this album. Sets up a sort of harmonic mantra.
It is often disjointed and makes me think of poorly remembered memories of songs I thought I knew. It's sometimes mayhem, yet quite tranquil at the same time.
A little bit like Mum... on cocaine... with a guitar."
GLORIOUS BEANS OF WONDEROUS SIMPLICITY...
L. Nuzum | Ohio | 09/29/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"...As I type this on my laptop while sitting on the toilet I am listening to Animal Collective's "Sung Tongs". My grandmother once told me, "Twice the pleasure, feathers leather." I still have no idea what that senile old woman was talking about, but for some reason I remembered this while listening to this fantastic album by AC. Every song on this album is beatiful in its own special way, even the sprawling 12 minute "Visiting Friends". Some might call it, "A waste of my effing time", or "A P.O.S.", or maybe even call it "The jayest thing I have ever heard in my life." But the only people who say that are the one's that are closet queer's. So don't listen to that guy. My mother once told me, "If you have seven honey buns and you want frogs on the other side, make little doggy Maxy talk to the relatives about STD's, make it a sunday, make it Halloween, I have to go do some more LSD, I will be back Tuesday." My mom was in and out of rehab for years. I think she's doing better now but she is always glueing ham on the floor when I come over. Anyways, buy this album, if you are poor, save up, I don't care how long it takes you, but once you get enough "scrill" buy this.
-- Sweet Cheeba Mantaray AKA Blue Tiger
P.S. I have been in my bathroom for 2 hours now, my arse is feeling a bit numb, the phone has rang 19 times, I need toilet paper...*cough*"
Mythical and Unconventional
Wm. Mars | Lancaster, PA United States | 08/15/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I have delighted in the Animal Collective's prior creations, but "Sung Tongs" is a inverted masterpiece of avant-pop spirituality and sensibility. The collective creates music that assists folks like myself in coping with the daily stress of being an inescapable hybrid of animal, spirit, and "machine". I've had this album for a few months now, and many of the more irregular tracks are among my favorites, but I must agree with and reiterate the majority of reviewers on this: Leaf House (track 1) is a exceptional song and a glowing example of this album's innate spirituality. One thing I do not accept is that many people describe the Collective's music as "drugged out" and "trippy." I saw the Animal Collective preform live in Philadelphia; they are so much more than your average acid-rock stoners and should not be described so carelessly. If you enjoy post-modern assimilations and music that tests your comprehension to the point of accepting the sheer joy of abstraction, give this album a spin."
Freak Folk Is Beautiful
David Potash | Warwick, NY | 03/23/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"How to describe this album? First, I think i should describe the term freak folk. Freak folk is a genre that is recently gaining more notice and acceptance. Freak folk takes the found sounds and experimentalism of noise rock, the delicious, quirky weirdness of psychadellia, and the hypnotic, soothing strumming of folk/folk-rock.
Hypnotic and soothing is also a great way to describe this album. the band uses a great variety of odd sounds here, in much the same way Pink Floyd did throughout their illustrious career. This band should call to mind some of the psychadellic pioneers of the 60s,and also some of the folkier things that came out of the late 60s. And mixed in with the Floydian psychadellia, the 60s folk flourishes, we have unabashed experimentalist side of it all.
When one takes all these things into account, one thinks, "Jesus that has to be a mess!" And in some cases it is decidedly so. But it's a glorious, carefully constructed, ingeniously put together mess; brilliance in short. And out of all the above tangents and sides to this music, none of them ever go over the top. They keep it all contained.
If you are a fan of noise, folk, psychadellia, or anything of the like, this will most definitely keep you entertained for a while. Just keep in mind the term freak does apply here. So be ready for more than a little weirdness, but enjoy all the same."
Best of Avey Tare and Panda Bear (+ the rest of Animal Colle
-T-Ed | United States | 05/30/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"On their 'breakout' album "Sung Tongs," Animal Collective really shines as a unique group who can create infectious songs while still maintaining that originality that most involved listeners find attractive.
Before hearing this... All I'd heard of Animal Collective was the track "Slippi" off of 'Here Comes the Indian,' and although it was a good song, I didn't find them worth exploring further. That was probably 5 or 6 months before the release of Sung Tongs. Upon reading good reviews of Sung Tongs, I decided to give it a chance and bought the record on vinyl. What a lucky buy, because little did I know, the record was phenomenal and I usually only buy vinyls if the album really stands out.
The first two tracks really caught my attention and I don't think I've heard another album start off this well. What, with the beach boys-esque vocals and tribal-styled instrumentation, it was simply irresistable.
Next, things were slowed down. The dissonant strumming of "The Softest Voice" was a bit too sparse. Afterwards, 'Winters Love' slowly fades from a quiet to a slightly louder beach boys sounding track. 'Kids on Holiday' is reminiscent of the Microphones, but with that defeniate and delightfully freakish 'Animal Collective' twist.
One of my favorite tracks "Sweet Road" uses warped field recordings and fun vocal stylings... But I absolutely love the clap after they first say "Sweet Road." I've rarely heard such a simple percussive statement be used as a hook so well.
The only faultering (long) moment on the album was Visiting Friends, unless you're patient. It drags on a little too long in my opinion and doesn't go anywhere further than the endless dissonant strumming that's already been done earlier on the album and in early groups (see: the microphones) more effectively.
The other two tracks that really stand out on the album are "We Tigers" and "Mouth Wooed Her" the former being the kind of song I was nearly expecting to hear on an album such as this. The last track is the one thing keeping this album from being rated a full five stars (I'd like to give it four and a half) because it was a weak way to end the album and isnt the kind of beautiful opus that you'd expect."