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Animal Collective: What Would I Want, Sky?

Critics and bloggers alike love Animal Collective. Therefore, it should serve as no surprise that their most recent EP, Fall Be Kind, is being lauded by critics. Over the past few days, in the midst of my finals week, I have had the opportunity to explore Fall Be Kind in all it’s complexities. One thing I have deduced conclusively, however, is my affinity for the track ‘What Would I Want, Sky?’
In a similar manner to ‘My Girls‘, Animal Collective utilize dissonance (and the relief from said dissonance) in ‘What Would I Want, Sky?’ quite effectively. Essentially, because dissonance creates a sense of discomfort, any subsequent section without dissonance will be more comforting, and thereby sonically appealing by comparison. At 3:00 into the song, there is a dissonance-filled transition that serves as a connective tissue between dark, cloud-like downward arpeggios and pleasant folk-pop (oddly enough this is the best way I can describe the two main parts of the song). When the transition is complete and the dissonance breaks (at around 3:20), the feeling is as relieving, beautiful, and calming as when you finally pee after holding it in for way too long.
‘What Would I Want, Sky?’ actually contains the first licensed Grateful Dead sample ever, and Noah Lennox’s voice over a cycling sampled Jerry Garcia is a juxtaposition that works eerily well.
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