Animal Hospital - Good or Plenty, Streets + Avenues

  by Maarten Schiethart

published: 25 / 4 / 2009

Label: Mutable Sounds
Format: CD

intro

Cliche-riddled, but nevertheless promising folktronica on second album from Animal Hospital, the project of Boston-based musician Kevin Micka

Animal Hospital, the one-man effort from Kevin Micka, is touring the USA with the impeccable Lineland and has a second album out to coincide with it. The Boston based Animal Hospital deals in gentle operations. Words to describe its sound include folktronica and electro acoustics. Ways to describe Animal Hospital lead to a use of clichés alas. '11 18 07' was the first track, and the fourth, off 'Good or Plenty, Streets + Avenues', was the first track to hit the right chords with me. Next, there's a crispy drone track, which once more failed to draw my attention. The short and concise title track then again raises one's appetite and from here 'Good or Plenty, Streets + Avenues' continues in a grand manner. This cliché riddled folktronica gains from pulsating little rhythms as the melody lines become more eloquent. Kevin Micka's compositional talent is not as strong as you might expect from someone playing a supporting role to Lineland, but his extra quality becomes more plainly obvious as the album progresses. Unfortunately 'Good or Plenty, Streets + Avenues' comes to an end, just when I was about to get excited. Echoes from an urban atmosphere of harbour characteristics set the final tone. 'Good or Plenty, Streets + Avenues' holds a promise and with this album you are left half fulfilled.

Track Listing:-