Collected Animals

dragon slayer and car keys were never favorites of mine in the boots and i don't quite love them yet here. hard to say why. i like the weird sounds on car keys.

i straight up skipped the singles this listen bc i've heard them enough and i might as well save the full proper album listen for official release, so there's still something to look forward to. but as of now i think walker is the weak link of the album. not the most rewarding track to relisten imo.

the last four tracks are one of their best stretches in forever.

cherokee and passerby were two big questions marks bc of the changes we heard in the boots. they were both standouts in '19 and both fell in my estimation after they changed. of the two, i had more confidence cherokee would stick the landing in the studio. it did, and actually the sequencing here is perfect bc cherokee is where this album's identity came into focus fully on my first listen. i can't pinpoint the moment in the song, like the way i can pinpoint the beginning of did you see the words when the piano joins the guitar and the sample of laughing children, that's where i get submerged in the atmosphere of feels. this time, it was delayed because i've heard versions of all these songs before, i'm just finally hearing them in their proper context. but just as the start of feels transports me to scenes from childhood, some nebulous part of cherokee took me into this album's world. it's a bit harder to define what it is. all i know is it's dark and cavernous, but not scary. and it's the most distant ac has ever felt from childhood. this album is mature.

the mature pov crystallizes on passerby, at least partially in a meta sense. we all know this song could have been a banger. the '19 version i always imagined as a face melting opening track like in the flowers. it has that huge moment in the middle and i was so bummed when it got improved in the newer boots. what's fascinating is hearing how hard in the opposite direction they took it, with the vocals going pointedly understated in the climax and a more subtle buildup. plus they inverted the vocal melody in the first part. both changes dramatically alter the whole vibe of the song. what's surprisingly is i immediately really like it in context. this is the maturity i'm talking about. this song goes out of its way not to be showy, and now it makes sense that the early reviews haven't really mentioned this track. it's serving more of a supporting role. and it's still really pretty but in a subtler way. i find it really neat.

we go back is a slightly slowed down painting with song. i'm glad it still has the zany vocal effects. no complaints here, best iteration of the track easily and it fits strangely well nestled in the soft rock section of the lp.

wasn't expecting the ethereal chirpy intro to royal and desire but i love it. love dave's backup vocals, especially parts where they kept the autotune. josh has long brought an air of maturity to his songs so it's appropriate to have him close out this album. this song was great all along and has gotten better every iteration. might be the prettiest ac song ever.