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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
...and normality is restored, 7 Sep 2008
Following the tremendous Tiger + The Duke EP, The Sound of Animals Fighting (henceforth TSOAF) u-turned and released their debut full-length to critical collapse; the album sat uncomfortably on most palates and, despite playing their only four live shows to date on the back of this release, it left many disappointed and vexed after such a promising first foot.
Good thing then that their 2nd album proper gets the train back on tracks. The Ocean & The Sun sounds like Lover, The Lord Has Left Us should; the dark, brooding atmospherics found throughout are unsettling in an enjoyable way, the climatic finales of tracks such as I, The Swan and Another Leather Lung substantiating this. The sound is trademark TSOAF, albeit one from a more abstract perspective. Whilst Tiger & The Duke was a hard-hitting kick to the teeth, The Ocean & The Sun often requires patience for recognition of these moments. Yes, there are riffs that will blow your head and fans of Tiger... will be more than happy with 'The Heraldic Beak of the Manufacturer's Medallion', which could have juxtaposed any track on the aforementioned release without sounding like an obvious interloper, however, there are moments here requiring your undivided attention: the restless gentility of the interludes (i'll get to these in a moment) splitting up the album nicely.
Additionally, where 'Lover...' encompassed every genre you could possibly name amidst its peculiar aural gift, 'The Ocean...' tends to experiment within the one genre. Pulling the band back to its original 4-piece state has perhaps enhanced this, and for the better! Cellophane's frantic drumming and guitar solos following Mars Volta-esque noodling is terrifcally effective. Furthermore, the use of now 3 vocalists (RX Bandits' Matt Embree, in addition to executing all bass and guitar parts - oftentimes retaining a typical modern-day RX Bandits sound - has taken it upon himself to contribute some vocals) weaves the music further into its unsettling, delirious-sounding state.
With regards to the interludes, here's some info. on the tracklisting for you: the sleeve only notes there being 9 tracks, HOWEVER, there is an intro which is unlisted, and therefore the first track of the album is this and not the title track. The title track is, in fact, number 2. Other unlisted interludes mess up the track listing too, so watch yourself when loading it on to the media player you use if transferring this to an mp3 player.
So, here you have it: the album you wanted but 'Lover...' didn't provide. Stripped back to the basic instruments, TSOAF have pushed boundaries further than those heard on 'Tiger...' in terms of providing a dark, experimental and abstract album, but have not had to tread into the realms of ridiculousness to do so. A thoroughly rewarding and refreshing album.
For fans of:
RX Bandits - And The Battle Begun
Martin Grech - Unholy
The Mars Volta - Deloused In The Comatorium
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~ The Sound of Animals Fighting
~ Anthony Green
~ The Mars Volta
![S/T [VINYL]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31ORKxYBVlL._SL500_SS90_.jpg)
~ United Nations
~ Sound of Animals Fighting
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