Why?: I saw a review in Classic Rock that sounded interesting. I listened to a few tracks on YouTube and fell in love so I bought it via Amazon UK. This is a special re-release/re-master of this album, available for the first time on CD in 2012.
Tell me more!:
My limited knowledge of non-pop music from the late 70s/early 80s makes it difficult for me to describe the sound of Animal Now. The comparison I think most fits is very early Midnight Oil and Hunters & Collectors, with a little more keyboard production. Maybe there is an element of glam in there, like Aladdin Sane era David Bowie?
The songs are all downtrodden 80s singing, palm muted clean tone guitars, 80s over produced drums and bass that sound like computers before they had computers, reverb and heavy use of echo drenched keyboard-horn solos and multi-layered backing vocals, all covered in beautiful rock guitar solos.
Even when it finds itself in dub territory with Fools, it still works. The only song I hate is Walk or Run, which again is because of that boogie blues style I'm learning I hate so much. I commend them at least for spreading their style around so much in one album, but I skip Walk or Run every time.
Otherwise, I adore this album. More than I enjoy early Midnight Oil and Hunters and Collectors. It's one of those very rare-these-days moments where I've purchased an album on a small whim and genuinely fallen in love with it.
8/10
