One could argue that much of Animal Collective’s music is “pastoral”, no matter how spritely, no matter how weird. Croz Boyce is not an Animal Collective album; it is a Croz Boyce album. The project comprises two animals of the collective – Avey Tare and Geologist – who have file-shared their way to new pastoral heights, perhaps envisioning their first album as a duo as a tribute to some of their most agricultural periods of yesteryear, namely the Campfire Songs era of Animal Collective.
Regardless of true intent, the album is the most outdoorsy, field-like experimental album, and the most experimental, left field outdoorsy album. Avey Tare’s acoustic guitar typically takes the lead whilst alien-like backgrounds shift. The result is a ‘landscape painting coming to life’ example of mass, shared creativity, born from a decades-spanning friendship; a reminder that friendship, nature and art are there for us when happenstance isn’t.
The camaraderie of the duo extends from the humorous origin of its name – a shared Dropbox folder entitled “Croz Boys”, named for David Crosby – to the unthinkable prospect of such picturesque music being produced simply by filesharing, by two people not even in the same room as one another. That’s how far embrace and natural chemistry get you; a wonderful mix of spit-balling and concise world-building.
With these worlds, in all their enchanting vastness, in mind, there is a consistent Americana motif to the album. While not quite American primitivism, the up-close style of Hanging Out With a Blueberry Pop’s guitar-picking has a similar, gooey effect to Hayden Pedigo’s work. This is some of Avey Tare’s most entrancing guitar work, as if he’s casting a spell. I’d liken the picking style on Father Karras to Brian May’s on some of Queen’s acoustic moments – see The Prophet’s Song. And of course, the boys can’t help getting a little weird with their naturalistic displays – I assume the song was named that way because its low-end guitar slides sound like demonic possessions, and a bit like moos.
And get weird they do! Avey and Geo are too itchy to stay in one spot. The immediate – some may say “easy” – glow of a seventh chord enchants on Towson Acid, but its charm is its shapeshifting; its tendency to transition from meadowlike folk arrangements to sci-fi, like aliens abducting cows from farms. Very progressive, and yes, very bizarre.
Abundant River Zap certainly sounds like its title; green but shaking with an organic persistence to its offbeat guitars. Even without fetching for the weirdness of Towson Acid, the boys refuse to sit still, and opt to go big or go home. What If Janis Just Stared features a big open-air sound accomplished by the pouring roar of a stray cymbal, Albatross-esque in that regard. Its resonating guitar strings are cuddly and weather-like, a difference split by the album’s typical cloud-gazing demeanour.
The album is spiritual. A meditative guitar croon dictates Steven’s Sunshine Rejected, knitting a few Western and Asian moods together in the process – or I suppose you could just call it psychedelic or hippie-ish and be on your way. Eternal Dream Drone presents a similar sense of spirituality from the repetition of four guitar chords that play for its eight-minute entirety. It’s a very simple progression but the sheen of the guitar makes it feel a bit different – it all comes back to the intimacy of Avey Tare’s tone.
The plenty pastoral debut of Croz Boyce is such a beautiful listen. Promising friendship, embrace, and something pretty, the album is an expectedly worthwhile addition to the Animal Collective extended universe.
Best tracks – Towson Acid – What If Janis Just Stared?
Rating – 7 out of 10
