"Signs and Wonders" by Animal Kingdom

How's it going everyone? Well, as it starts to be, once again, time to start studying for finals (have you ever noticed how I almost always have a midterm or an essay or a final to work on? Yay quarter system!), I wanted to get another post on here for you!

The album, ladies and gents, is "Signs and Wonders" by Animal Kingdom. This album popped up about 1.5-2 years ago, and I didn't buy it for a while because I had foolishly gotten it into my head that I wouldn't like an album that was a reincarnation of psychedelic rock.

Obviously, I was wrong. This album is amazing. There are definitely strong elements of psych rock in here that remind me a little bit of Pink Floyd (never a bad thing), but there's a heart of rock pulsing under the airy vocals.

For a relatively new artist, Animal Kingdom is able to put together an incredibly diverse set of songs. Nothing on here feels like filler, and there's always some new melodic element that the band is adding into their songs.

The lyrics are clever as well, well-written but unassuming. They are not the star of this album, though the frontman's airy/almost falsetto vocals do add a ton to the album. The choruses on this album are some of the best I've heard in a while.

You're probably thinking that I'm about to say the music is the star of the album, if the lyrics aren't, right? Wrong! The music is also a critical element of the album, but the trick of this album, and the facet of it that makes it so special is that there isn't a star. The music is at times light and ethereal, and at times more rock-ish and psychedelic, but it's always well-executed and it always backs up the vocals perfectly.

This album has been floating around for a while now, so I can only hope that a new album is in the works! Here's a link to their Myspace.

http://www.myspace.com/weareanimalkingdom

My three favorite tracks on the album are "Tin Man," "Silence Summons You," and "Chalk Stars."

Until next time, enjoy the music and follow the link on the "I Need Your Help" link! :)

Thanks,
Andrew