Signs & Wonders [Import]

Animal Kingdom | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 13, 2009)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: 101 DISTRIBUTION
• ASIN: B002KMK35I
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #169,708 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Good Morning Mr. Magpie

2. Signs & Wonders

3. Tin Man

4. Silence Symmons You

5. Into The Sea

6. Two By Two

7. Home

8. Walls Of Jericho

9. Mephistopheles

10. Yes Sir, Yes Sir

11. Dollar Signs

12. Chalk Stars

Editorial Reviews

Widely tipped to be one of 2009's major breakthrough bands, Animal Kingdom follow the limited edition singles 'Chalk Stars' and 'Tin Man' with the release of their debut album, Signs And Wonders. Recorded at Seattle's Electrokitty Studios with Phil Ek (Fleet Foxes, The Shins, Les Savy Fav), the melancholy album finds the London quartet countering immediate Pop hooks with unpredictable arrangements and a dark, reflective soul. Developed over a six week period, Signs And Wonders includes the delicately crafted, emotive Pop of the debut single 'Chalk Stars', the dreamy, infectious hook that gives the lovelorn 'Tin Man' an otherworldly atmosphere and the eerie flow of 'Two By Two' that features Sauberlich's vocals floating in the ether like the voice of an imaginary friend. Warner.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Album of the Year, December 15, 2009

By 

Paul Michelsen (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Signs & Wonders (Audio CD)

There is not a bad song on this album. It is rare that I come across a cd that I want to listen to over and over again. Usually I'll take a song or two and add it to my ipod, but this album has 12 great songs on it- actually 13 (there's a hidden track that is also great). The 1st US single is Tin Man- they have 2 other singles in the UK not counting Tin Man- their 1st single over there was Chalk Stars, and the 3rd one is the title track. Check out their videos on youtube and while you're there check out the promo for HBO's Big Love Season 4 that features another Animal Kingdom song called Bright Lights (see: Big Love "Falling" promo #2). I wouldn't be surprised if all of the other songs wind up being on major movie soundtracks real soon. They have been named the Best New Alternative Band of 2009 by itunes, but have not yet become a household name. That, I hope, will change fast. 2010 should be their year to make it big, and I believe we'll be hearing more from them for years to come.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable and eclectic début album, October 16, 2009

By 

Steve Benner "Stonegnome" (Lancaster, UK) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Signs & Wonders (Audio CD)

Listening to Animal Kingdom's first album, "Signs and Wonders", is a bit like taking a walk down a long and winding lane of musical memories. The light and airy blend of piano and multiple guitars is a mix of early Supertramp and Wishbone Ash, while Richard Sauberlich's gentle vocal style, so similar to that of Jon Anderson in his youth, lends the whole enterprise the same feel as early Yes albums, especially "Time and a Word" (although without the orchestral touches). More than anything, though, this album reminds me most of the early albums of the first-generation line-up of Ian McNabb's band, The Icicle Works from the early 1980s, (although Animal Kingdom's drummer, Geoff Lea, is no Chris Sharrock by any stretch of the imagination). The two bands share the same quirky choice of subject matter, whilst their frequent and quite shameless use of hackneyed lyrics subjected to subtly unexpected musical treatments produce an eclectic and yet highly individual approach to music making, together with a style of vocal delivery which you will either love instantly, or else will irritate the hell out of you.

This début album could have benefited in places from a little more punch in its production, which at times is unnecessarily restrained -- almost as though someone somewhere lacked a little confidence and decided to play it safe. But that aside, there is little to fault in it; the musical ideas are strong and much of the execution is spot-on. My only complaint is that at barely 47 minutes, it could easily have held another couple of tracks. Some may feel that the album lacks variety, although personally I think the consistently high levels of musicianship make up for that. I found it hard to decide which numbers I liked best, as they all more or less have something individually going for them; if pushed, I'd probably nominate 'Mephistopheles' and 'Chalk Stars' as the best of the bunch, for their particularly strong individuality and an execution that repeatedly bucks expectations.

On the strength of this first album, Animal Kingdom is a band that should go far. I shall be watching them with interest.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Actually, They're V Good!, October 13, 2009

By 

dovefancier (London, England, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Signs & Wonders (Audio CD)

Here is another group of talented young musicians! Actually I didn't know much about this band before, but I just heard their number 'Signs and Wonders' a few times, and I really enjoyed it, and other songs, e.g. 'Tin Man' and 'Two By Two', are very good too! I'm surprised!

This is what I thought: the vocalist has a wonderful voice and can reach a very high note, but not necessarily a clear high voice, like Keane, but it is husky, strong and has a very atmospheric quality, which reminds me of Sting and the Police a bit, but it's different.

The melodies are really good too, and I can't wait to play this CD in my car (because I'd like to listen to it with the volume level really high!). They use the piano and other sound effects well and create a special melancholic atmosphere.

FYI: Their music videos are good too, and you can watch some of them on YouTube, such as the main title 'Signs and Wonders'. I'm glad I got this CD and can certainly recommend it to my friends!

Hope this helps!