ANIMALS

Pink Floyd

Psychedelic/Space Rock

4.53 | 4172 ratings

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Tarquin Underspoon

Now this is acidic stuff.

This is the most spiteful, angry, cutting, most "Roger Waters" album that Floyd ever put out. This anger is expressed in typical Pink Floyd style, of course, always musically understated rather than loud, leaning towards the mellow instead of the high-voltage. But where the guys have whimpered before, they scream here. This style would be further cultivated (perhaps to overkill) on The Wall, but for the moment, it was the perfect balance of delicacy and agression. Instead of whimpering about a general topic, as Dark Side and WYWH tend to, Animals points a finger at a specific group of people and makes its fury apparent.

To be more musically specific, listeners will notice that Roger Waters does indeed dominate this record. The other three had not yet been pushed to the background, however, and each is given his time in the spotlight. I find Gilmour's work on all three longer songs to be the musical highlights of the album, from the extensive solo work in Dogs and Pigs to the album-ending explosion at the close of Sheep. The late Rick Wright plays as tastefully as he always does, adding touches to the album that are only truly appreciated with repeated listenings. And say what you will about his personality, but Waters is a highly expressive singer, and his voice really ties this album together. It may have been Roger Waters' band by this point, but it was still Pink Floyd, and that's why this angst was so well translated musically.

On most days, I will give Dark Side the honored title of "Favorite Pink Floyd Album". If, however, I am in a particularly bad mood and I need a slightly more vicious Floyd to listen to, it has to be Animals.

Tarquin Underspoon | 5/5 | 2010-6-6

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