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Guide to Animal Collective
Animal Collective is an experimental psychedelic band from Baltimore, Maryland. The band consists of Avey Tare (David Portner), Panda Bear (Noah Lennox), Geologist (Brian Weitz), and Deakin (Josh Dibb). Avey Tare is said by members of the band to be the de facto leader and writes the majority of the tracks. Panda Bear is an equally important member with the most successful solo career of the 4. His catalog is definitely worth a listen as well with a couple of albums that or on par with the best of Animal Collective.
Spirit They're Gone, Spirit They've Vanished Their first album was actually released as Avey Tare and Panda Bear not Animal Collective, and all tracks were written by Avey Tare. A very abrasive yet pop-like album, it's originality helps illuminate it's sparkle. Not an incredibly accessible record, but an incredible record nonetheless. Album Highlights April and The Phantom Penny Dreadfuls Chocolate Girl Someday I'll Grow to Be as Tall as the Giant Danse Manatee Their most unpopular album by both fans and critics, it still has it's gems. More candy coated than their first album, it's a more saturated noise-pop. They released this album under the name Avey Tare, Panda Bear, and Geologist. Essplode resembles the experimental pop of their previous album, and remains one of the strongest tracks on the record. Album Highlights Essplode Runnin' the Round Ball Throwin' the Round Ball Hollindagain Their first live album that also featured some original tracks. Worth a listen the whole way through to feel the energy of the band. A lot of noise on the album, making it chaotic especially on the first half, but it's beautiful noise. Hard to put standout tracks for this one, I can only really listen to it as an album. Campfire Songs A brilliant record recorded back to back to back with five tracks. Released under the name Campfire Songs and featured Avey Tare, Panda Bear, and Deakin. No Geologist for this one. And the first with an active Deakin. Here, like with many of their records, you really feel the presence of their music. It's not just something to listen to, but to feel. From the very opening of their first track Queen in My Pictures, the strings strumming and the qooing voices set the tone for an amazing trip. Really hard again for this album to pick standout tracks, but the most accessible is probably Doggy. Album Highlights Doggy Here Comes the Indian The first album actually credited as Animal Collective although all previous albums are retrospectively called Animal Collective albums obviously. It's a very energetic, percussive, loud, rhythmic, tribal record. The first couple tracks have a percussive buildup only relieved by Avey Tare and Panda Bear yelling. Whilst the description may make it seem like chaos, it flows together so easily, you'll forget how hectic and chaotic it really is. Again, like most AnCo records, it's record for you to really experience and not just listen to. Listening to their records at high volumes and just taking every second all in is really something. Album Highlights Hey Light Sung Tongs This album is magnificent. One of my favorite of all time and really transports you. Filled with stripped down acoustic instrumentation and a child's imagination, it's really an adventure. Every track is worth a listen. The first half is much more accessible before switching to more ambient and experimental with Visiting Friends. Sweet Road is an underrated track, but it's really fun and short. Album Highlights Leaf House Who Could Win A Rabbit Winters Love Kids On Holiday We Tigers Prospect Hummer Nice little EP of four tracks featuring Vashti Bunyan on vocals for tracks 1, 2, and 4. The first two tracks consist of outtakes rerecorded with Bunyan from Sung Tongs. The 3rd track is an instrumental by primarily Geologist, and the final track is a buoyant short pop tune which nicely closes the short 16 minute EP. Album Highlights It's You (Sorry about the montage video, only one I could find) Prospect Hummer Feels I honestly believe this album is masterpiece. Animal Collective maintains their unique experimental sound while adding an indie taste that allows their music to talk to a bit larger audience. Their first track (Did You See the Words), and most outright "indie rock" track on the record (if even that) shows their development as a group. Grass is one of Avey's best tracks and the percussion keeps the track feel grounded while Avey Tare's yell compliments Panda Bear "ooh's" perfectly. The Purple Bottle to Bees to Banshee Beat triple shot is brilliant. Purple Bottle is more pop but irresistibly while Bees changes the album's mood to a more gentle, spacey yet earthly sound. Banshee Beat is in my opinion the greatest Animal Collective song ever recorded. It's progression from it's constant softer sound into this beautiful piece with Avey Tare's fragile vocals make the track unbreakable. It's like a caterpillar crawling along elegantly then evolving into one hell of a butterfly. Daffy Duck feels a lot like Bees but a bit more complex and evolving. Loch Raven is a nice enchanting song that feels like night and transports you with Panda Bear's "ooh ooh ooh's" at the 3:45 mark. Turn Into Something picks up the tempo and ends the album with a bang. Album Highlights Did You See the Words Grass The Purple Bottle Bees Banshee Beat People Another 4 track EP by Animal Collective. Not quite as good as Prospect Hummer, but still a solid EP. Animal Collective releases an accompanying EP for each album Sung Tongs and on. The first track is wonderful. It's pretty simple and repetitive, but each yell of "yeah, ye-AH" and then the climax yell of "People!" carries the track and carries you to a new place. It keeps it going. And the soft little tapping percussion adds the perfect kick needed to keep the song in place. The following track Tikwid is more upbeat. The 3rd track features strange vocal effects and isn't much special. The album closes with a live version of the opener. Album Highlights People Strawberry Jam Strawberry Jam is just as good as Feels and many argue that it's better. The first half is more poppy than the more experimental second. The album appears to be more focused than Feels and features another great back to back, For Reverend Green which features some of Avey Tare's best vocals thus far and then Fireworks. Winter Wonder Land is a very fun, fast tempo track with thrilling vocals from Avey Tare and Panda Bear's lovable backing vocals. Both of Panda Bear's tracks on the album ("Chores" and "Derek") are very catchy and his voice, like always, carries the songs to better depths. Every single track stands on its own. Album Highlights Peacebone For Reverend Green Fireworks Derek Water Curses A wonderful EP by Animal Collective. The opening, title track is one of the greatest songs in the Animal Collective oeuvre. It features many intricate layers that shouldn't come together, but work perfectly to create this wonderfully catchy pop song. The next 2 tracks are pretty chill, and very listenable. The final track, "Seal Eyeing" is very aquatic and has a very ambient feel. Album Highlights Water Curses Merriweather Post Pavilion The popular, critically acclaimed masterpiece Merriweather Post Pavilion. Needless to say you should definitely listen to this album as a whole. It's energy, constant buildup and explosion, and blissfully catchy songs make the album like no other. The lyricism of the album also is step forward for Animal Collective. Formerly cryptic and hard to really decipher (except for a few tracks) these mostly deal with the necessities of life, existentialism and the beauty in love. With Deakin gone for this album's recording, the band uses a lot more samples which Panda Bear grew to love. In the Flowers is beautiful track that really opens up at 2:30 after Avey Tare sings "If I could just leave my body for a night." And this album is really something that can allow you to do just that. Each track is brilliant in its own way. My Girls, builds up from the very beginning, with a repetitive verse, that plays nicely being repeated until finally he changes to just one line before the sound explodes and the beauty of music is realized in one song. The underrated Bluish features wonderful musical arrangements especially at the chorus. Guys Eyes is another perfect song that was formerly Panda Bear's "Song For Ariel". The album closer is another brilliant composition written for Panda Bear's brother. Album Highlights My Girls Bluish Guys Eyes Lion In A Coma Brother Sport Fall Be Kind Animal Collective's best EP. This time containing 5 tracks that flow together so well, it's comparable to that of an album. "Graze" the album opener starts with ambiance and slow until the second half jovially starts into this stomp that is equally if not more amusing. the second track ("What Would I Want? Sky") is another one of their best tracks recorded. It features a sample by the Grateful Dead that fits perfectly into the song. The first half build a tension that is finally cut halfway with a beautiful melody and aching vocal performance by Avey Tare. The next track ("Bleed") is pretty ambient and the complimenting Avey Tare and Panda Bear vocals is quite worth the listen. "On A Highway" is another underrated track of theirs in my opinion. It's one of Avey Tare's more personal songs. The final track builds a sort of tension until it finally explodes into the title's name with Panda Bear sings "I think I can." Each song is great. Album Highlights What Would I Want? Sky On A Highway Animal Crack Box Another Animal Collective live album, but this time a box set. the box set contains mostly songs from their more experimental days but is worth a listen nonetheless. Hard to pick any standout tracks. I'd like to say it's only for hardcore fans but... ODDSAC ODDSAC is a visual album made in a collaborative effort with Danny Perez. Quite a watch and quite a listen. The band themselves said the visual is irremovable from the music and it's obvious that you should watch/listen to the whole thing in one sitting and in order, so I'd rather not make a standout track list even though there are some obvious highlights like the opener or Green Beans. Really trippy, but really good. If you familiarize yourself with the rest of the band's body of work and like it, I'd strongly recommend you to buy this and watch it to support them. Keep + Animal Collective A four track cassette released as a promotion for the Keep store. It features solos by each of the band members. It's an interesting listen, but to be honest, nothing really seemed incredible in it so I didn't listen to it more than a couple times. Transverse Temporal Gyrus It's free to download and comes with an interesting visual bit again by Danny Perez. It's downloadable as a program and is different each time you listen to it! It's not one solid body of music so no tracks to list obviously. Honeycomb/Gotham [Non-album Single] Two track single released just prior to Centipede Hz. "Honeycomb is brilliant and somewhat of a melancholy song. Panda Bear's part will make you sing along and worth several repeat listens. The B-side "Gotham" is also just as good. The sound of the single is very much a departure from their former sound. While little bits of Feels can be heard in Honeycomb, the overall technical sound is foreshadowing of their album Centipede Hz's sound. Centipede Hz A much more abrasive and in your face sound than the other albums. It has a very industrial sound and acts almost as if thinking too fast. Great album, and it's hard to compare to MPP. "Moonjock" opens the album witha new sound that is unlike the band's other work. But Animal Collective's work has never really stayed the same, and always has been changing. It makes them an unpredictable band, and all the more fun at the same time. It features the band using live instruments such as a sit-down drum set. Deakin's first vocal solo is present with Wide Eyed, but the song seems too long to really bear a good presence. The rest of the album is however pretty good. It has few gems, but when they shine, they really shine, like on today's Supernatural or Monkey Riches. Album Highlights Today's Supernatural Applesauce New Town Burnout Monkey Riches Monkey Been to Burntown Their latest release, the EP that features only remixes from Centipede Hz. 3 different remixes of Monkey Riches and 1 of New Town Burnout. Interesting to listen to, but nothing that is close to surpassing the original. Worth a pass to buy, a try to listen. Imo, the best band of the past 13 years. |
Thanks to a tip from Surrel, I've started getting into these guys the past couple weeks.
Have listened to most of their stuff at least once so far. MPP is a standout definitely. In fact I might put it in my top 10 all time albums. Centipede is next best. Some of their early stuff is ... silly. But I'm just *dying* for them to do a re-make of the last cut on Campfire Songs. Sooo much potential in this piece. My favorite song on MPP is Also Frightened. It's an intense, haunting song that sends shivers up my spine and tears down my eyes. |
Good stuff man. Have you listened to Feels or Strawberry Jam all the way through?
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I've listened to SJ all the way through a few times. I find it decent, but not great. Still like both MPP and CH better.
Sung Tongs and Feels I've only listened to once each. Neither really jumped out at me, and I think it was Feels I found to be particularly silly, even though there was some pretty stuff in there. But that was just one listen, I do intend to give both albums additional chances. |
Ohhh really?! Feels? Definitely do it. There really old stuff is harder to get into. I'm assuming you haven't tried Here Comes the Indian.
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Yeah, come to think of it I don't think I've tried Here Comes the Indian.
Anyway I'll give you an update when I give them another listen or two. |
BTW, a few misc. thoughts ...
MPP is a fantastic album, but I do find one fault with it in that it has just one song too many that could pass as a more-elaborate 80's techno-pop tune. My Girls, for example, starts out really great, but when the beat kicks in it loses some appeal to me. It's not bad that way, mind you, but sounding a little like an 80's techno-pop tune gives the song a bit of a dated feel, even if it's got electronic effects no one in the 80's would have thought of. Summertime Clothes and Bluish fit the same bill. Neither are bad songs, they just make me feel a bit like going back into a time machine. IMO, they could have gotten away with just My Girls and Summertime Clothes and it would have been OK, but I really find myself wanting some more somber song replacing Bluish - especially since it's surrounded by two already upbeat songs (Daily Routine and Guy's Eyes - both of which are fantastic). My other thing is - and you might discern this from my statement about the last cut on Campfire Songs above - I prefer songs with some structure. A lot of these avante-garde/experimental bands often sound like their just playing and singing nearly random notes and calling it "creative." I don't buy that. Anyone can play a bunch of almost-random notes ... but there's no talent there. It's like writing a sentence comprised of gibberish, like this: "Singing futures pingbacks potpie the temper of calculator dawn." So, I could claim that's "art" because maybe it's got a bit of a nice meter, maybe - but really, it's just garbage. However, give it some correct sentence structure, and you can lay claim to some talent: "So set the sun over everything, creating crimson chorus of sun song." At least it's got a verb, and a noun, and actually, well, makes some sense. But at the same time it's very rythmical, has some nice alliteration, and so on. It's a bit free-form, but it's not random gibberish. (BTW that's part of a poem I wrote myself many years ago). Anyway, for those reasons I found the first 4 cuts on Campfire Songs to be not much more than some college guys banging away semi-randomly in a studio (or garage!), but the last song contained more structure in addition to some nice musical hooks, which is why I thought it was such a promising song. |
Well as far as MPP goes, I absolutley adored My Girls and Bluish, the way the layers compliment each otehr works perfectly. And the buildup in My Girls is great, the repetition is used FOR the purpose of that immense burst. it might be a callabck to the 80s, but it's not just that. It's beyond that, It's a sound that would have never come but through them, and them then. I think they';re both beautiful pieces, but of course, it's all opinion.
With the random note criticism for Campfire Songs. I can see what you're saying. And in many cases I'd agree. But at the same time, for something to become so popular and get pretty generally good reviews, there has to be something worth it...right? (But then I think of abstract art and this defense isn't holding up...) I think a better defense would be to just tell you what I like about campfire songs. It's simple yes, but not random. Take the first track Queen in My Pictures. It's a really droning, long piece and doesn't change much, so yeah it can turn many off. But for me, it transports you, those simple repetitive chords create a sort of tension on the brim of relaxation. Then Panda Bear's voice and the additional notes transport you to that place. It's amazing. |
I'm very happy I could get you into them my man! :) Here's my favorite "Indian" track:
Yes it's very intense but I love the atmosphere it builds up. It's kinda like "Funhouse" (the album) by the Stooges in that way that it gives the impression of an animal in some sort of agitated state. Feels is good, a very laid back listen with some great tunes, but Strawberry Jam is my favorite so far. MPP is really good but it doesn't have the edge of its predecessor, and I think SJ has not only that edge but the tunes and cohesion of MPP. "Alvin Row" is a really great track from their first one too. Also, I really like "Sung Tongs" in its sound but it kinda drags if you focus on the whole thing solely. It's great background music and has some of their best songs, but the fully acoustic stuff back to back to back makes the album seem really long to me. Their new one was great, a little difficult in its pace and industrial tone but it was a good shakeup for the band and has some of their best stuff ("Monkey Riches," "New Town Burnout," "Applesauce," etc.). Have y'all heard the Shabazz Palaces "NTB" yet? It's a really good psych-rap take on the song. They're a really great group as well if you can get behind rap. |
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Have even tried a few other semi-similar bands (notably Atlas Sound and Tame Impala), and while they're good they don't seem to have the same creative spark Animal Collective does. Anyway I'm going to be on a trip for a couple days so I'll have to check the other songs later. |
This set is just awesome...i just love listening to them..
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@Surrel,
OK I finally got around to listening to your two tracks. Panic - Hmmmm. Let's just say that, 1) it should be some sort of background track for a scene in a movie, and 2) the last couple minutes caught the attention of my cat. I have a lot of respect for my cat's aesthetic preferences, so there must be something interesting about it! Shabazz Palaces - This, too, sounds like it would be great for background music in a movie scene (at least parts of the song). It was OK, but not really my "thing." Not really a rap fan. |
Animal Collective definitely follow their muse to just about anywhere, and I think they blend more diverse elements together in more unusual ways than most of their contemporaries. Those bands are very good though, and if you dig them, you'd probably like Foxygen too. Not nearly as experimental in the psychedelic spectrum, but they do make top notch 60s/70s original tributes, in a sense. We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace and Magic is mainly what I refer to:
Spoiler for foxygen:
You may also like MGMT, but I'm not so hot on them. Great production, though, and some interesting sounds, a little more like if psychedelic music began in the 80s. EDIT: Missed your last post, "Panic" is definitely more of a track based around the ambience, most of Indian is really, but that track always makes me perk up, I guess it's the vibe combined with Panda Bear's yelp. A more lively track would probably be "Hey Light." And I understand if you didn't dig Shabazz as much, it's very low key and hip hop oriented. If you dug anything about it, though, I would recommend the song "Are You... Can You... Were You?" it's good. |
Those 3 Foxygen songs went to the other extreme for me - being too conventional almost to the point of being boring.
That's what I like about MPP so much, the perfect combination of pop music approachability/familiarity and interesting/creative/complex musical stuff. |
:(((( i'm sorry to hear that, but I understand that you are very well versed with that form of music, especially the originals. They get my goat just because it is so familiar, it's like hearing an echo or something, but I can only loosely piece together certain aspects of the songs (though sometimes it is pretty blatant).
Btw have you listened to any Panda Bear yet? His breakthrough/super acclaimed album Person Pitch was called a deconstructionist vision of Brian Wilson by one publication I can't recall (it said so on my vinyl copy). I'm sick of youtube right now, but if you're interested, my favorite cuts are "Bros" and "Take Pills," but it's only 7 tracks long (however, two are 12 minutes long). Also, I just stumbled on the structure issue you addressed from the last page, and while some noise stuff is pretty ridiculous I think that not only do some of the songs justify themselves because it's not random notes so much as tone setting (like how Penderecki used to use awkward noises to ellicit harsh emotions (he was a bit of an influence on them from what i've read)), but for the most part they also an ear for some sort of melody or hooks, so usually that comes through a little bit. |
Yeah I've listened to Person Pitch a few times now. Great album, I intend to listen to his other stuff as well when I get a chance.
When I listen to music, I'm usually interested in something that engages me. Tone-setting usually doesn't interest me for that reason. Often I'll listen to Bach or maybe some sort of spacy stuff if I want some background music, but weird, atonal stuff isn't the kind of thing I'd want for that purpose. |
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I can understand why some long-time AC fans weren't fond of MPP. If you liked, and were expecting, stuff like Sung Tongs and Feels, and then listened to MPP, it would be like having gotten used to and enjoying PDQ Bach, and then suddenly having Beethoven's 9th Symphony thrust upon you. The two older albums are, well ... quaint, for lack of a better word, while MPP is vastly more ambitious, almost grandiose, by comparison. Someone not used to such epicness from their favorite band might be turned off by MPP. More later ... |
Alright, brief synopsis ...
After listening to both albums again, my initial impression that Feels was a bit silly stands, though I think I liked it better the 2nd time around. One guy who sang a lot of the songs sang in the tone of voice which was just, well ... dumb. Otherwise there were some interesting things and nice passages, but nothing really jumped out at me too much. It's not a bad album, but not great either. Sung Tongs I liked a little better, but not by much. It seemed a bit more serious. However, I just can't get through the last song, it just sounds too dumb. It's not that I don't like a silly or un-serious song now and then, but when it seems to pervade an entire album, I can't help but wonder if they were trying to produce serious music, or just goofing around. |
Really gotten into this today. Fascinating song!
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I personally found Strawberry Jam to be a more grand album and more engaging on the whole, mainly because of the production and because it felt like there were no wasted moments - every song on the album is at least very good, where MPP has lesser songs like "Bluish" and moments that don't hit as hard (I know you'll hate this but i really hate that part near the end of "Also Frightened"). But the main reason I also like MPP slightly less besides lessened experimentation (which SJ reigned in just enough) is that it didn't mark very much progression as their albums usually do. Every album up to that point could not be mistaken for any other album, and MPP seemed to recycle former musical ideas, which sounds pretty harsh but is how i feel. It does have a very smooth flow and bright atmosphere that makes it, like, the quintessential summery album, but that could also go for Beach House's Bloom which is not a great album but has good evocation of blissful feelings (and occasionally existential dread maybe).
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Alright, having listened to a bunch more AC now, I hereby declare MPP would have been "perfect" if they had replaced "Bluish" with "What Would I Want? Sky." I've also been really getting into PB's Person Pitch, particularly the song "Bro's" - which, during its first half, has this nice almost Christmas-like tone to it. ;)
I don't find SJ to be "grandiose." I suppose compared to their earlier albums it was, but not compared to MPP. I find MPP to be much, much more ambitious. "In the Flowers" alone seems more ambitious than the entire SJ album. Maybe "ambitious" or "grandiose" isn't quite the right word, but I'm not quite sure what the right word would be. By way of comparison, MPP is to the the rest of AC's work as Bridge Over Troubled Water is to the rest of Simon & Garfunkel's work. Hope that makes sense. |
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I like Centipede much better, it seems like a more disciplined, refined and melodic or mature version of SJ. As for the lack of progression on MPP, maybe they were running out of ideas? Seems almost like they took some of their exiting ideas and put them into a more disciplined format than their other albums. |
BTW, interesting write-up (written after MPP came out) describing how AC could be considered the first true "internet band:"
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I adore Bluish. Beautiful chorus.
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I think "Sky" would usually make a great replacement for "Bluish" but i'm not sure its sound, length, or production would quite fit in its place unless the album were shifted around a little bit. The current configuration kinda makes it difficult though, since they built the album almost only to work in its order. You may be right about MPP being their kind of exercise while lacking fresher ideas, even though Fall Be Kind has its moments that seem genuinely fresh for the band. I may like the atmosphere that Deakin's presence seems to bring, since he's primarily the band's guitarist, and one who digs a harder edged sound for his instrument at that, which pushes the band toward grittier sounds a la SJ (he wasn't on MPP at all as well). I am bummed that you don't dig SJ as much, but it was the first album I came to know them by so maybe i'm a little biased. I love a tight album though (but really it can't be that tight when some songs go on for seven minutes), and songs like "Cuckoo Cuckoo" and "Derek" really get my goat. There's just something so sinister about that album that I think is really refreshing in psychedelia, considering the brilliant casualties that the scene has within it (Wilson, Syd Barret, the Beatles as a band kinda). I think a lot of this comes down to how stark they made the production combined with the harsh feedback and dynamics and whatnot. Centipede Hz does have an interesting industrial side, which does make it tighter melodically for the most part, but I just haven't been able to get my head entirely around it. It has some of my favorite tunes by them ("Applesauce," "Monkey Riches," "New Town Burnout," etc.), but some songs are a little forgettable to me when i step away from the album. It definitely deserves further listens though. I'm glad you like "Bros," it's generally a favorite from the album, and i even used it for a short short short movie i made. That album has a really unique sound no one's really tried before or since. Also, I think Avey Tare sings most of Feels, and he has a pretty divisive voice - he also sings/screams most of SJ which i'm sure some people could do without. It reminds me of a lighter kind of MPP though, in how blissful most of it is (i say lighter because MPP has a very dense, thoroughly concocted wall of sound thing going for it) - its simpler in its songwriting too, though, and leans more on tribal sounds. And while I don't see a whole lot of seriousness in Sung Tongs, it is one of their more bare albums, which gives it a hint of solemnity; kind of natural, maybe. "Kids on Holiday" is definitely one of their more serious efforts, though, and kind of reminds me of a more stripped down, low key "Fireworks" in the theme. And yes, the last song is pretty damn goofy sounding, one of their kinda infantile experimental tracks, which I'm down with because i also love the childhood themes in psychedelic stuff. I'm gonna chalk it up to Barret lineage. But what's your favorite stuff from the Hz? And have you dug Fall Be Kind outside of "Sky"? "Graze" is one of the standout tracks on that one for me. Also, when do you think the Wilson/AC collabo will go down? PS: I can't speak much to the internet band status because 1) i haven't followed them long enough :( and 2) i kinda don't get a lot of the internet's implications because i was practically born into it. |
My favorite song from Hz is definitely Rosie Oh. Best electric reggae song ever!! It's a great example of what I was talking about before about ideal mixes between the familiar (in this case, Reggae) and the experimental. Pulleys is really good too, as is Applesauce.
As for Fall Be Kind, by now I think I've listened to it probably 10 times ... and it only just arrived in the mail today from amazon.com!! The whole CD is great, and at this point the best song is a 3-way tie between Sky, Bleed and I Think I Can. In fact I think I'll go so far as to say it's as good as MPP, maybe even better, with the downside that it's too short! Four more songs would have been great. Anyway, back to the Bridge Over Troubled Water analogy, when you get around to listening to the album, you'll notice that it's far, far removed from their prior folk-rock stuff (though Bookends was definitely heading away from that already). If you listen to S&G's first album, then listen to BOTW, it's like day and night. BOTW is this massively ambitious, highly produced, almost epic in scale commercial blockbuster, while their early stuff was just some (very) pretty folk tunes. Some people who like pretty folk tunes might not like the highly-produced, extremely ambitious scope of BOTW, but there's no denying it's a masterpiece and Paul Simon's songwriting had taken a huge leap. Seems to me comparing MPP to AC's earlier work is like comparing Bridge Over Troubled Water to Wednesday Morning, 3AM. |
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Interesting article on the recording and mixing of MPP:
http://www.sweettea.net/animal.pdf |
A couple things from Panda Bear's upcoming album. I thought Tomboy was nice but not nearly as adventurous as Person Pitch. These sound like he's trying something new and different again.
I'm guessing the first one is just a sample from an incomplete song. Maybe also the 2nd, though it's longer. Not even sure I like the 2nd that much, but at least it's different and interesting. |
Absolute ... must ... listen-to ...
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Sorry i haven't been as interactive recently, school's got me in a grind and now i only post when i have the potential to prove someone wrong. /selfdeprecationorsomething
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I also haven't heard Tomboy and haven't found the chance to fully listen to the vids you linked, BUT I Will. |
I bought Tomboy and have listened to it several times. Compared to Person Pitch the songs are much more conventional. It's a nice listen but not nearly as good or creative as his previous album. Judging by those two snippets above I'm hoping that changes for his next album.
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Yeah, I heard it was more traditionally based in guitar pop as opposed to sampled based, almost techno-esque composition guitar pop which, at least in the sense that it built more like sample based music, gave it idiosyncracy.
BTW I dig that Avey Tare album, it reminds me of Here Comes the Indian in its low key nature and darkness, but it has some really grabbing hooks as well, which is a good balance. It really breezes by too, in a good way, where i just wanna loop it forever. My favorites are probably "Laughing Hieroglyphic" and "Lucky 1." Openers and closers are oftentimes my favorites, maybe i'm a sucker. |
One of the most insightful reviews of AnCo I've read - be sure to use google translator if you don't speak Spanish. The last line in the article is the clincher:
Sopitas.com » No más bandas como Animal Collective, por favor |
i haven't listened to much animal collective in a few years or so. i thought merriweather and the fall be kind ep were great, but i never got into the newest album.
strawberry jam is probably my favorite ac album. safer from the peacebone single is fantastic. this performance is pretty cool too: Spoiler for many fine costumes, but they're not like mine:
panda bear's new material also seems great. at least this song does: Spoiler for xoxoxoxo:
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More new Panda Bear, of a sort. Like the piece above it's actually got some woodwinds/classical instruments. Would be interesting to see what he could do going in that direction:
See Models Writhe to Panda Bear's Solo Sounds in Fashion Preview Clip | SPIN | SPIN Mix | Videos Warning: High Art. ;) |
Avey Tare sounds like he's gone electro-dance with his new band:
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks Announce Debut Album Enter the Slasher House, Share "Little Fang" | News | Pitchfork |
Love my girls. Obvious choice but it's great. Saw them at Field Day last year and they were pretty weak though, might have had something to do with the atrocious acoustics.
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I just listened to Prospect Hummer for the first time, currently on my 2nd listen. Great stuff, Vashti Bunyan's voice goes great with AC's style of acoustic work.
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Some new Panda Bear, from his forthcoming album:
Panda Bear Plays New Songs Live: Audio | News | Pitchfork First song sound familiar, is it from Tomboy? Anyway ... |
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