The Sound of Animals Fighting

If you thought the Mars Volta were horrifically pretentious, you’re going to get a kick out of the Sound of Animals Fighting — in the sense that listening to this record is likely to give you the powerful urge to kick yourself in the face in order to refocus the pain caused by listening to it. Featuring members of RX Bandits, Circa Survive, Chiodos, Days Away and the Autumns, this monstrosity wants to be smart so, so badly. It’s kind of like a mash-up of a Yes record and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, but even worse than whatever possible sound that conjures for you. I’m sure the band members think the name is all clever and junk because of the disjointed nature of their sound (and the fact that they all disguise their identities with lame dollar-store animals masks and names like "Nightingale”), but it’s more like the sound of animals fighting about Descartes, in that they have no idea what they’re talking about and should probably go back to eating leaves (read: playing ska music). Anthony Green from Circa Survive still sings like some kind of inhuman man-angel, but that can’t save this train wreck.