Despite the hyperbolic praise heaped upon Animal Collective – “My Girls” Panda Bear’s euphoric ode to family life just might surpass the hype.
An obvious choice for Merriweather Post Pavillion’s first video, the clip sees Avey Tare, Geologist (with mandatory head lamp) and Panda Bear take silhouette form in a sea of animated amoebas. Much like their music the clip melds the cosmic with the human – psychedelic visuals revolving around a warm emotional core (in this case the band itself).
With Jon Vermilyea on animation duties and visual effects by Chad von Nau, the clip is resoundingly druggy. The colours shift, squares float past, there’s a wormhole interlude and they do start melting so make what you want of it. I’m sure your enjoyment of the film clip would not be hindered by drugs.
And the song itself? A bonafide neck breaker which takes cues from Chicago House via a lifted Frankie Knuckles arpeggiated synth line. Cohesively fused with Animal Collective’s trademark bubbling atmospherics, tribal rhythms, and unconventional song structure. The thing that sets “My Girls” apart however, is the unbridled and unashamed pop sensibility they’ve embraced but more importantly it’s imbued with the gravitas that can only come from a Father that says “Fuck the rest, I’ve got everything I need under this roof”. For this reason “My Girls” is a contradictory wonder – it makes me want to dance as much as it makes me want to never go clubbing again and settle down. It’s far and away my most played track this year and instigates the kind of hands-in-the-air euphoria reserved only for Evangelists and hippies. Who would of thought that bass kicks and yelps could be so exhilarating?
