Many of Fohr’s songs shift sonically during the time they begin and the time they end. It’s genuinely exciting when songwriters write like this. At a time when algorithms and formulas dominate a lot of pop music, it’s refreshing to hear songwriters who are willing to put out tracks that have several dimensions. If you ran Haley Fohr’s music through a computer program and asked it to spout out a genre, I don’t think it could. Such is the manner in which Fohr’s music shifts and warps. 

“Dream St.” has shades of the lounge-y exotica and electro-pop of Arthur Lyman at the onset before the track is blissfully overwhelmed by gorgeous synths and strings towards the end. It’s tough not to play this one over and over. “Diamond Glue”, a standout from the tail end of the record, is a futuristic synth track that incorporates Nile Rodgers-esque disco guitar rhythms. It’s probably the track most likely to get people rushing to the dance floor or turning up to maximum volume in the car. 

Fohr’s deep, wistful baritone sounds a bit like that of an opera singer. It’s like a Gregorian chant composed of only one person. It’s powerful in subtle ways, and can feel all-encompassing. It’s what drives the opener, “Casino Queen,” a track that has similarities to John Maus’s “The Combine” in terms of its sleek, almost sinister combination of spooky synth and driving drum machines. Jacqueline as a whole is like a concept record, with each track being a story of the fictional character Jackie Lynn and her nightly escapades. “Casino Queen” sounds like the character of Jackie Lynn leaning into her desires and becoming a force to be reckoned with on the dance floor.

“Sugar Water” is perhaps the most straightforward (if you can say that about Fohr’s music) rock n’ roll track on the record. Its got countryland electric guitars that bring the energy around Fohr’s voice, which again carries the song through its richness of depth. It’s another standout from the record, one that will creep into the back of your head and stay there for days. 

There’s something unique about these artists from Drag City. Whether it be David Berman, Will Oldham, Royal Trux, or someone else from their stellar roster of artists over the years, the label has continued to define the genre and has refused to be put into a box. The result has been a lot of very exciting music, and a lot of artists that may not be the biggest, but whose fans are intensely loyal. Drag City artists tend to find a true place in the hearts of their listeners. The music of Haley Fohr is no different, and her output has contributed and continues to contribute to the outstanding legacy of Drag City. Her return as Jackie Lynn is another notch in her belt as a uniquely gifted songwriter who stands out on a record label known for spewing out uniquely gifted songwriters.

Image by Evan Jenkins

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Their perpetual pursuit of a new psychedelia takes them places one can never really truly expect in the anticipation of the next release. The most recent EP, Meeting of the Waters, is a great example of this metamorphic approach to music – the EP was recorded in the Brazilian Rainforest. And this is not the first collection of tracks that takes advantage of the environment. There were Campfire Songs, Sung Tongs were enhanced by the sounds from Avey Tare’s local deli, and Strawberry Jam reflects on the sounds of Arizona.

Each release carries through with ecstatic energy, natural calmness, and inventive use of nature’s sounds or surrounding environment. This progressive approach to music makes them a band you cannot stop watching. Their fanbase is as vivid as their collection of releases and ranges across two decades of boys and girls. Last week the band returned to Toronto’s Danforth Music Hall (seems to be their local venue of choice) for another highly anticipated sold-out show.

The evening opened with Chicago’s Circuit des Yeux, real name Haley Fohr. Fohr’s deep dramatic voice and sad, at times even tragic, sound and delivery is unexpected, open, and somewhat heart-wrenching. This weirdness was a suiting set up for the upcoming Animal Collective set.

The lengthy break between performances was augmented by “Blue Noises” but if anything was an indicator of what’s to come it’s the stage: decorated top to bottom with colourful cutout shapes and paper mache characters that glowed from the inside, the stage was promising a hell of a light show.

The show was energetic and encompassing, everything glowed in the dark, and each song had it’s own unique pattern. The crowd was packed in wall-to-wall going wild, throwing their arms up in the air, clapping along, and dancing infectiously. Something about this particular set, this particular level of Animal Collective weirdness reminded us of the Mighty Boosh, and that’s a great thing. This is a show that needs to be seen live because that’s the only way you can trully be a part of the Animal Collective world.

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