Need to Know: Animal Style
With our column, Need to Know, the Redefining Records team aims to give you exactly that. A concise review of a new release that gives you the essential insights, so you instantly know whether to lend your ears for a listen.
MOONCATS
ANIMAL STYLE
IS IT WORTH LISTENING TO?
Anything this steeped in tradition and revelry is worth a listen, even if MoonCats’ rustic sound isn’t what you’d normally tend towards.
BEST SONGS
“New Orleans”
“Out on the Weekend”
“136 Miles”
WHO’S IT FOR?
For anyone raised on bluegrass, Americana, or blues music, Animal Style will strike a sentimental chord. For anyone who has more recently (or just now) entered that sphere, it serves as a good-natured, forthright entree. If you can appreciate a tongue-in-cheek one-liner as much as a lamenting ballad, you’ll find your kicks on this record.
Notice to all washboard enthusiasts - this album is a must. If you’re a washboard skeptic, there’s a good chance MoonCats will change your mind. And yes, there is an art to it.
WHAT’S GOOD?
Crooning vocals, stomping rhythms, and free-spirited melodies carry this album from start to finish. Jumpy strings and a soulful harmonica bring about a permeable merriment to nearly all tracks, but Animal Style is also dotted by tunes dripping with folky melancholy, like “136 Miles.” There are lighthearted campfire classics (“Let’s Talk”) and barn-burners galore (“The Year of the Grasshopper,” “Out on the Weekend”).
A rural ease is palpable throughout Animal Style - enough to make you imagine a simpler life in The Ozarks. You can almost feel the dirt between your toes, in the best of ways. There’s an unbridled sense of optimism that feels far more genuine and uplifting coming from a folk trio from North Dakota than it does from your run-of-the-mill pop star. Their songs are accompanied by a friendly, warm glow that never quite fades.
THAT’S A BUMMER:
Maybe that glow can become a bit much, because among the moments of pure energy and fun, there are times when the melodies have such an inoffensively bright and cheery tone that it’s hard to see past the hokiness. You might be left wondering whether your child would enjoy this album (yes, they would), which in itself is not a problem. Jack Johnson will forever be tied to Curious George, and yet to this day, a good test for psychopathy in both children and adults is to see if they can hold back a smile while listening to “Upside Down.”
The main issue is that songs like “Camping” and “Dirty Critters,” which play into their affable, sing-a-long style, outnumber and steamroll over tunes like “The Bitter Ballad of Jojo” and “136 Miles,” which honor folk music’s rich history of storytelling and star-gazing. Given that this project was crowd-funded, maybe it shouldn’t be so surprising that it’s chock full of family-friendly crowd pleasers. There are worse problems to have than being too accessible.
ALL IN ALL:
If you’re a fan of the genre, there are obvious reasons to love this album. But if this genre is a stretch for you, it might be tough to earnestly get into Animal Style. If that’s the case, there’s still reason to give it a chance - there aren’t many bands out there that can venture into a space with 85+ years of heritage and still find a way to connect with a young, modern audience. MoonCats adeptly navigate the task of injecting life into an age-old genre while still holding a candle to its celebrated past.
