Concert Review: Animal Years Are Brooklyn Folk Stars
Animal Years treat the stage like a playground, which is something I noted in my previous review of their show. They bash and play their instruments like a bunch of kids let loose for free period. That type of energy, once again, took over MHOW with fans cheering them on like they were Brooklyn’s troubadours.
Living one block away from Music Hall of Williamsburg, Animal Years, literally, felt at home. They were settled on that stage and gave a supernaturally comfortable vibe. They laughed and introduced new songs as if the audience were not only fans, but a group of friends they were “testing” their newest work on. Every artist plays their newest music to their family and friends first, of which the fans happily became that. To them, Animal Years felt like local, folk heroes; managing to put into rhythm and lyrical motion how much every young person wishes to be a star while feeling like a dud.
Yes, I said dud. Animal Years’ lyrics appeal to twenty-something struggles. Coming off the cusp of our teen/ early twenties’ “energy,” we are filled with love, dreams, and set choices we are determined to fulfill, while finding out that “fulfillment” is an ever changing term. Thus, tracks like “Caroline,” “Come On Eileen,” “All Mine,” and “Take Off” spoke to the wonder and whims of feeling full of promise and unsatisfied by goals. That need for “more” builds up with guitar melodies and drummed hooks that turn folksy frequencies into rock riots. Somehow, Animal Years have smashed together a grassroots feeling with a party lifestyle; as if the greatest bash you have ever been to is in your backyard or in your buddies’ home, which it might be.
Some of the best, biggest moments of your life are when you are simply laughing with a few friends at home. For all that a person may want to be “big,” the small moments are always the ones that stand out in magnitude. Mike McFadden’s voice grasps that life is about the details: not the destination. He steams notes like a radiator: made to warm your inner cold. Meanwhile, drummer Anthony Spinnato and bassist Anthony Saladino, back him like his best friends sharing in the need for good music to make you feel better. For More Information On Animal Years Click Here.
