Animal Collective – Brother Sport

Reviewed by Mark Corcoran-Lettice


I’m not even going to pretend to be impartial here. I absolutely adore Animal Collective – ever since I stumbled upon a copy of then-current album ‘Feels’ four years ago, I’ve found myself addicted to the many weird and wonderful records this band has put out, and in that time they’ve only got better.

Coming from this year’s triumphant leap into dance textures, Merriweather Post Pavilion, ‘Brother Sport’ is nothing less than six minutes of pure adrenaline: from the very first exuberant yell to the final, dizzying fade-out, it’s energy distilled into a pure, pristine cut of euphoric, joyous music. While it does perhaps work better as the conclusion to an epic full-length than as a stand-alone cut, it’s still a remarkably frantic piece of work that distils everything that made fans, new-comers and critics across the world fall hopelessly in love with Merriweather when it came out all the way back in January.

With Animal Collective currently re-grouping and planning their next move after their busiest, most successful year to date, ‘Brother Sport’ acts as a well-earned victory lap: a final display of brilliance, and a perfect way to close up this chapter in the AC story before they return to surprise us all once again.