Eli's Band Shirt Collection: A Series of Retrospectives - The Sound of Animals Fighting

In cleaning out my closet, I've come to find that a startling number of my shirts are actually band shirts--who would have thought?  So, in an effort to revist the bands I once loved enough at one point to purchase a T-shirt of, I will be revisiting one album from each representative band.  And with any luck, you my dear readers will find something to love as well.

We begin with one of the stranger, more experimental bands--The Sound of Animals Fighting.  TSOAF were less an actual band, and more a collective of musicians hailing from various parts of the musical spectrum.  Most notable are Anthony Green of Circa Survive fame and Craig Owens of Chiodos infamy, and joing them are members from bands such as Rx Bandits.  Starting out as a post-hardcore act, TSOAF evolved into a bizarre and confounding experimental troupe, with their final release acting as a beautiful mixture of the two.

But to fully appreciate the short life of this band, one must start at the beginning--The Tiger and Duke, the band's first record.  The Tiger and Duke is a messy album to say the least, and one whose ambitions were somewhat misplaced.  But within this mess lies an energetic presence rarely seen.  The dual vocals of Owens and Green is absolutely perfect, while the "proggy" instrumentation and hectic drumming add even more.  Most impressive is the fact that none of the artists never met during the recording.  That's right, each song was haphazardly thrown together.  Strangly, it sounds stunning in its execution, as if it were meticulously planned that way.

The Tiger and Duke is full of filler, has a rough production, and at times seems way too rough around the edges.  However, it's musical experimentation at its finest; a bold and exciting album that has an unparalleled sense of energy.  One would surely be missing out if this were to be passed up.

The Tiger and Duke--2005
Lover, The Lord Has Left Us--2006
(Final Release) The Ocean and Sun--2008