★★★★
There’s no better insight into Animal Collective’s most elusive member than a solo album.
Several years in the making, Deakin has created a vivid pastiche of all that he has done with the band, distilled into a brief but highly satisfying LP.
Many Animal Collective hallmarks can be found here. Field recordings become ambient suites, and the way Deakin structures his vocal harmonies in ‘Just Am’ is eerily reminiscent of Panda Bear, even if his vocal timbre in other ranges is altogether his own. ‘Footy’ is an exhilarating exercise in machine gun hi-hats and big swells of delay – not rhythmically unlike something you’d hear on TV On The Radio’s Return To Cookie Mountain.
Those who relish Animal Collective’s recordings as a unit of four will be delighted to hear a whole release dedicated to the one member who can’t always be there. The album epitomises what he brings to the group, and mid-record suite ‘Shadow Mine’ is a tiny peek into an actual recording from a personal trip he took during the Merriweather sessions.
Whether the lyrical concerns of this album touch on the occasional departures from performing with Animal Collective, or the difficulty Deakin found releasing this record itself, it’s fulfilling to hear either way.
Deakin’sSleep Cycleis out now through My Animal Home.
