Not Animal – Margot & the Nuclear So and So's

Margot & the Nuclear So and So's signed with Epic Records in 2007, having made enough waves with The Dust of Retreat to climb aboard a major label's roster. The big leagues aren't always accommodating to evolving bands, however, and the band soon clashed with Epic over which songs to include on their follow-up album. Two different records were ultimately released: the band's preferred version, Animal!, and the Epic-appeasing Not Animal, which featured those songs favored by the label. The latter record was the only one to receive a proper CD treatment, with Animal! being relegated to a vinyl/digital release. Accordingly, Not Animal isn't the album Margot intended to issue; rather, it's a compromise between the band's shifting direction and the label's desire for a marketable product. Yet despite the concessions that Margot & the Nuclear So and So's likely had to make, this sophomore effort is hardly conventional radio fodder. Not Animal takes a challenging, nuanced approach to the band's chamber pop sound, which previously drew parallels to Sufjan Stevens and Arcade Fire. Those comparisons are less evident on this 12-track album, where the band's eight members rarely pile their instruments into lushly orchestrated heaps. Instead, they play their cards like veteran poker players, waiting for key moments to throw down a loaded hand. It takes restraint to act this way -- to downplay the noise emitted by such a large ensemble -- and Not Animal sometimes sounds like a Richard Edwards solo album, as he helms the majority of these songs with his guitar and world-weary voice. When the band comes together, however, Not Animal sounds like the wiser older brother to Retreat's wide-eyed child. One of the strongest tracks, "As Tall as Cliffs," opens with harmonica and bouncing acoustic guitars before slowly adding additional layers: Emily Watkins' gauzy harmonies, Andy Fry's electric guitar, multiple percussive instruments, and -- for a brief 20-second period at the song's conclusion -- a full-band sonic swell. The highlights continue; "Real Naked Girls" is an atmospheric ballad peppered with Nintendo keyboards and strings, "Pages Written on a Wall" mixes James Bond-styled guitar riffs with mariachi horns, and "Hello Vagina" manages to sound sadly sweet despite its masturbatory lyrics ("I am your right hand; I am your best man"). Not Animal gets better as it progresses -- the sparser, melancholic songs are pushed to the front, leaving the band's energetic material to bring up the rear -- and Margot's sophomore album subsequently concludes on a high note, effectively masking any sour taste left by the band's battle with Epic Records. ~ Andrew Leahey, All Music Guide