With magic fresh on our minds we walk across the war-torn elementary school field. Hues of red in the sky discolored the smoke which blocked our vision and filled our noses with the scent of burnt elements. Flashes in the sky hastened our wavering walk, our destination a celebration of a baby nation.
I felt like this song would be an appropriate one for today purely based on its title. Fireworks, by Animal Collective, is probably the most popular and likable song from one of their more bizarre albums, Strawberry Jam.
The song starts with a beat that could only make sense if you accidentally inhaled a lung full of salvia divinorum while watching an episode of Spongebob Squarepants, consequently forgetting to exhale. The vocals do their part to attempt to cheer you up as you spin hypnotically into a severe feeling of strangeness. You slowly realize that there is nothing to make out of this song, yet you won’t stop listening to it because you like it.
It is something in between the lyrics and that feeling that your insides are being twisted into rope which resembles the bulk of the song. The result is a mind-bending psychedelic horror which Animal Collective is rightfully and most of the time unknowingly known for. The transitions in this song float as if time were optional and the closer you listen to it the more bizarre and unearthly sounds you will uncover, a dirty pleasure sort of like philosophically pealing apart the essence of joy. The melodies are cute and friendly, but the way in which they are used can only be reminiscent of a horror house disguised as a sunny beach, waiting for you to fall asleep so that it can reveal its true face when you wake from a peaceful nap. It switches from being mellow and cheerful to intense and upbeat like someone actively splitting their personality so as to only keep you interested in what they have to say slightly longer.
Hopefully you watch some fireworks while listening to this song. The two go very well together. The song really isn’t even about fireworks, but every time that one line mentions fireworks, you will get a fuzzy feeling inside. And fuzzy feelings are sort of what fireworks are all about after all. Too bad my cats don’t agree.
-oko
The Music Court 
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