Review Summary: we get it this sounds like other bands
When the Centipede Hz hype of summer 2012 was rampant, I remember that I thought I found a secret leak of the album. Centipede Hz was everything I wanted it to be as a follow-up to Merriweather Post Pavilion as I saw it, a sprawling epic in comparison to MPP's more subdued beauty, and it seemed as though Animal Collective had created another classic.
And then I found out that leak was Alvin Band's
Rainbow Road.
For starters, if I was ever paying attention to the lyrics, I doubt Panda Bear and Avey Tare would ever write an entire album filled with songs dedicated to pop culture references. This is not a very serious record, despite somber tones on some tracks, and I imagine after being a member of an indie pop band such as Miniature Tigers, it would propel Alvin Band's frontman Rick Alvin Schaier to produce something more outlandish and ridiculous than his usual fare. Whilst cartoony and sort of corny, the lyrics fit well with the vibe throughout, but they don't add anything in terms of depth or lucidity. However, this doesn't detract wholly from
Rainbow Road, as musically, it's a joy. "Bowser's Castle" starts off the proceedings with a blast of fireworks, bouncing synths and Schaier's chanting spawning a mammoth atmosphere that dies down shimmeringly, like the moon's reflection in ripples of water. "Dry Bones" and "Stanley Kubrick" don't stop the lively spirit as well, using all sorts of bells and whistles to impress and astound. This LP thrives on dazzling the listener and just plain being entertaining as all hell.
By the time "Mystery Alladin" has ended, you've been through a roller-coaster of an album.
Rainbow Road doesn't leave anything to the imagination, its inventiveness shown to be pervasive and enthralling. Regardless of whether or not one may think this apes Animal Collective or Of Montreal a bit too much, the fact that this passes for a great impression of two brilliant bands serves as a notifier of the quality that this record possesses. Even removed from this context, the record delights and proves a very worthy listen, and that goes beyond any sort of imitation.
