In a recent interview, the two young men of Blind Man’s Colour responded to accusations of aping Animal Collective. According to the St. Petersburg, FL natives, Orhan Chettri and Kyle Wyss have been sampling water and incorporating similar sounds into their collage-style works since 2006. They continued by noting that Animal Collective’s Water Curses EP, the recording that BMC’s sound most closely resembles, was released in 2008; it wasn’t a matter of plagiarism so much as coincidence. It wasn't coincidence, however, that Blind Man’s Colour first rose to prominence on the blog-buzz of several Animal Collective covers they recorded prior to the release of Merriweather Post Pavilion, a move that of course openly invites the comparison.
With praise flowing in from outlets both obvious (Stereogum, Ed Droste of Grizzly Bear) and head-scratchingly out-of-place (Kanye West’s blog), Season Dreaming has long been consumed by the ever-expanding balloon of hype propelling it. Here's the truth: trying to examine it "objectively" and imagine the band as anything other than a second-rate Animal Collective is incredibly difficult.
“The Warm Current’s Pull” opens Season Dreaming nicely enough, with whirring synths, already recalling Strawberry Jam and Merriweather Post Pavilion, and an ebullient vocal delivery that sounds like a cross between that MGMT dude and Noah Lennox. “The Dinosaur Ride” is a fun little jaunt whose rapid acoustic guitar chord changes and naïve vocals bring to mind Sung Tongs' favorite “Winters Love.” “The Planets Explode” is a standout track without an easy Animal Collective parallel, easily one of the strongest songs on the album. With a slowly shifting, shimmering cloud of synths and warped vocals, it sounds not unlike an extended version of Fridge’s “Cut up Piano & Xylophone.”
At times, Blind Man’s Colour venture into pretty straightforward pop territory, to mixed results. “Kissing Minutes” is dreamy and blissful (if a little saccharine), and “Anxious Place” rides atop a consistent drum rhythm and heavily effected guitar until it deflates during the climax. The arrangement calls for the players to unleash some energy, but it all just feels lackadaisical (as if the music here weren’t convincing enough, we hear the singer mutter “oops” at the song’s end, a leftover from the vocal recording session).
To their credit, Blind Man’s Colour are very good at what they do. However, what they do has (very recently) been done, and to an incredible amount of acclaim. There’s potential for a good album from the group, but they have yet to find a unique voice and passion with which to write.
1. The Warm Current’s Pull
2. Heavy Cloud Hustle
3. The Dinosaur Ride
4. Anxious Place
5. The Planets Explode
6. Sleeping Habits
7. Jimmy Dove
8. Kissing minutes
9. Ghosts
10. Shells