Released: 2022

Genres: Neo-Psychedelia, Psychedelic Pop

The Musiquarium’s Time Skiffs Review Score: 7 out of 10

On Animal Collective’s last proper album, Painting With, the band sounded like what they must sound like to people who hate Animal Collective. That album was annoying, hyperactive and downright grating. Gone were the Beach Boys-on-acid vocal melodies and psychedelic experimentation, in was some of the most annoying call-and-response singing I’ve ever heard in my life. The album also dove in too deep into the pools of pop convention and worst of all, it was far worse than the already disappointing Centipede Hz., which failed in following-up their magnum opus, Merriweather Post Pavilion. And just like that, Animal Collective went from being Pitchfork-backed indie darlings to a washed up and irrelevant band.

So, does Time Skiffs make up for the lost time? No, not really. It’s a lot better than anything else they’ve done in a decade (which isn’t saying a lot), but it’s lacking that experimental creativity that made albums like Strawberry Jam or M.P.P. such classics. This album strikes a better balance between accessibility and stronger songwriting, but it fails to experiment too much or have much to say. Still, songs like Dragon Slayer, Car Keys and Prester John are some of their best songs since the 2000s.

Time Skiffs is good, but it just isn’t enough of a comeback to make up for a decade of irrelevancy.

For credit breakdowns and historic release details, view Animal Collective on Discogs.

Back to the 2022 Album Guide or the Animal Collective Reviews page.

Written by Brett Nippard