All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Entertainment Weekly

Breathlessly giddy and shamelessly trippy. [21 Oct 2005, p.75]

Stylus Magazine

Feels is a near-stunning album a notable amount of the time.

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Spin

AC are all about the sometimes blissful, often uncanny intermingling of song and space. [Nov 2005, p.98]

Splendid

This is a wonderful album -- and a significant advance over the excellent Sung Tongs.

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Magnet

Feels is layered as no other Collective album before it. [#70, p.87]

Drowned In Sound

Animal Collective have made the album I hoped they’d make, and even that it’s autumn and summer’s over.

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The Onion (A.V. Club)

A carefully sequenced, fully imagined album--one that's designed to be consumed by people wearing headphones and staring into space.

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Tiny Mix Tapes

Feels is a psychedelic wonderland filled with life-affirming warmth.

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Urb

To call these songs ambitious would be an understatement. [Oct 2005, p.76]

Pitchfork

Feels is an excellent record, one that, despite a more conventional approach, happens to get better over time.

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Almost Cool

A glorious, noisy, melodic, celebratory release from the ever-inventive group.

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cokemachineglow

Feels takes the Collective in an exciting new direction, creating the kind of record that expands on the group's less esoteric strengths while also pushing their sound forward.

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Filter

It's cosmic Americana as once charted by Mercury Rev in the druggier days of yerself Is Steam and Boces. [#17, p.101]

All Music Guide

The group sounds freer than ever before, almost as though they've never bothered with rock in their lives, and have only happened upon a bare few LPs before beginning their recording career.

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No Ripcord

The great achievement of Feels is that it throws everything at every track yet never loses sight of the tunes themselves.

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The New York Times

If it isn't as formally shocking as "Sung Tongs," it's still a strong record. [17 Oct 2005]

Prefix Magazine

Half of the album is rambunctious and full, driving and manic; the other half charms us with melancholic lullabies fueled by a single sip from the purple bottle. The result: With Feels, Animal Collective has created its first pop masterpiece.

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Q Magazine

It's a very strange album indeed. Happily, it's also a very good one. [Nov 2005, p.131]

New Musical Express

'Sung Tongs' brought a smattering of organization to the band's chaos, and now 'Feels' finally sees them emerge, blinking, into the sunlight. [15 Oct 2005, p.35]

The Guardian

Swapping campfire cosiness for expansive joy, they sound so accomplished the Flaming Lips comparisons fall by the wayside.

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Junkmedia

It's on the sonic departures, though, that Feels strikes its most resonant chord.

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PopMatters

Feels is a highly rewarding journey into pop music's most primal, earthy, esoteric and ultimately beautiful places. And it's unlike anything else you will hear this year.

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Uncut

Feels depends on a balancing act between brilliance and whimsy, and some may need convincing that a purposely childlike band... is not twee. [Nov 2005, p.110]

Delusions of Adequacy

Feels further confirms that not only does Animal Collective make music different from anything else that’s out there – these folks are also quite good at it.

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Mojo

Every bit as chaotically charming as its predecessor. [Nov 2005, p.108]

Paste Magazine

Unpredictably unique. [Dec 2005, p.126]

Billboard

"Feels" is by far the most agreeable Animal Collective yet, but whether or not that's a good thing is for you to decide.

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Under The Radar

Too much of the record seems content to be beautifully languid, but too flighty to really unsettle you. [#11, p.105]

Blender

What's most frustrating about them is precisely what's most appealing: Their refusal to write traditional songs, coupled with their giggling nature-child personas, adds an air of mystery and makes for some beautifully offbeat melodies. [Nov 2005, p.131]

ShakingThrough.net

Feels doesn’t trump earlier, more intimate Animal Collective releases. It’s just louder and messier.

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musicOMH.com

Working best with eyes closed and a fertile imagination, Feels plays like a dreamscape of interconnected happenings, some coincidental, some intended, that's as dense as it is languid.

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Neumu.net

Although surprisingly self-conscious at moments, Feels remains rife with a triumphant beauty, a bucolic sound that stirs and entrances the listener like a happy secret.

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Playlouder

Despite its many wondrous moments, 'Feels' is not a record for everyone.

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Dusted Magazine

So refined at times it borders on the insipid.

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Slant Magazine

Feels fails to come together as a coherent whole.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 8.7 (out of 10) based on 73 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Patrice T gave it a10:
This album is amazing. I'm amazed at how many emotions and feelings this album taps into. They have so much talent and while their music may take some getting used to, it's worth the reward.

tony R gave it a10:
Wow.......Banshee beats is such a good little tune my question is how can you give it a one. "scared for where music is heading" HA go listen to Nickelback more thanks and I will say it you have very poor taste my friend, think before you speak.

J McC gave it a10:
Amazing album!! One of the best of the decade, at first the catchy pop tunes of the first half stand-out and its hard to believe there could ever be anything to top it. But, with further listening the beauty of the second half of the album slowly seeps into your mind and you'll find yourself listening to Banshee Beat over and over again. Once fully understood, Feels plays out beautifully with every track contributing to the overall experience.

Joe P gave it a1:
This band makes me scared for where music is heading...

Justin B. gave it a9:
Writing a song like 'purple bottle' is reason enough to give this album a 9.

Chris J. gave it a10:
Simply amazing.

Eric C. gave it a10:
Though Avey Tare and Panda Bear are the most prominent members, you can really notice the presence of Geographer and Deakin, the more "electronic" members. They were absent from Sung Tongs, and I can't help but love having them back. They add even more layers to the already thick sounds of Animal Collective. It's funny, though, how the album starts off. Did You See the Words sounds like a by-the-books indie song (though a spectacular one). Luckily, though, the album soon goes back to what gained AC such a devoted following. An easier listen than anything they ever made, though still obviously experimental, this cd gives proof as to why they are widely considered an elite indie band, up there with The Shins, Arcade Fire, and Spoon.

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