I went into Chinatown to find off-brand Animal Collective knock-offs and found this sitting in the back of a tea shop where it had undoubtedly been abandoned by its original owner.
This is the opening track from Animal Collective’s “visual album” ODDSAC. The sound here resembles their work from “Here Comes the Indian” with the updated production that is featured on their more recent albums. The video that went with the music is, I think, unremarkable unless you enjoy recreational use of hallucinogens or opiates. Much of it is filled with esoteric nature-themed nonsense visuals and pretty vibrating colors. The album is solid, opening with an uptempo track, segueing abruptly into a cluster of psych-drone songs, and bringing the listener gently out of the lull every once in a while with actual music. This album probably won’t appeal to fans of Merriweather Post Pavilion.
ODDSAC trailer here
***Reposted 7/13/2010
I guess Panda Bear has finally ended his sabbatical from the guitar. Tomboy, the single from his upcoming LP of the same name, seems to be a combination of several elements of PB’s career. First, we see elements of the almost tribal fury we were left with on I Think I Can from Animal Collective’s Fall Be Kind EP. Second, we see Panda Bear’s impeccable ear for sampling intact from his last LP, Person Pitch. Third, we see his aforementioned return of the use of guitar in his solo outings. All and all, Tomboy is probably my most anticipated album of the year when it drops in September.
-jakeyp
A nice, subtle, slow build. If you’d prefer something more like Animal Collective jamming on the beach, check out “Cranberry” from the same album. Or really, almost any other song off of “Fight Softly.”
Jane was the collaboration between Animal Collective’s Panda Bear and some miscellaneous DJ I won’t even bother to name drop. Unlike most side projects from the Animal Collective ilk that typically sound like Megatron getting slowly eaten by a garbage disposal, this is a more palatable offshoot. This is the type of ambient music I put on specifically to ignore when I need to get some work done.
Also, put another name on the list of people who owe Brian Eno a thank-you note.
-jakeyp
As far as I’m concerned, this is the definitive version of Fireworks– an epic eight (in some versions up to twenty) minute suite that wedges two tracks off of Danse Manatee in between Fireworks while still keeping it’s omnipresent trademark droning drum sample. This won’t win any converts, but fans of Animal Collective will dig it.
-jakeyp
Outside of a truly horrific Animal Collective remix of Peacebone he penned, I don’t know anything about German DJ Pantha Du Prince. You can certainly draw some parallels between he and AC though. All of the textured-samples and droning melodies you’d expect from an Animal Collective song are present and accounted for; only someone cut the vocal track and moved your speakers to the bottom level of a European cathedral’s catacombs. The entire album this is off of (entitled Black Noise) is great music to throw on when you need to get some coding done, which should really make it popular to about .00000000069% of the electronica-fan population.
AC’s Panda Bear must have dug it though. He has guest vocals on this track.
-jakeyp
I’ll never NOT jump at the opportunity to leverage an excuse to throw another Animal Collective song up if I have a good reason for it. I never got around to finishing my 2009 Top Album list due to the addition of a little pup in the Perrone house; which made doing just about anything then letting him outside to poop a very difficult task. By that very extension, throwing up a very good (and noticeably uncharacteristic) Animal Collective song about a dog seems like a logical way to start 2010.
I’ll start updating regularly again today.
-jakeyp
A live version, plus my fanfare-free list of the top albums of 2009 are after the jump:
An obligatory Animal Collective selection given the fact that somebody spilled whiteout all over Harrisonburg this morning. This is one of AC’s more organic sounding songs; it’s pretty nifty what you can do with acoustic guitar, a few drums, and 4-part harmony via tribal moaning. Eskimo seduction music.
-jakeyp
I know I’ve been really laying Animal Collective thick as of late; but bare with me. Their Fall Be Kind EP just leaked and I am break-dancing in my goddamn Laz-E-Boy at some of the new tracks they’ve dropped . Seriously. Fucking Merriweather Post Pavilion already wrapped up album of year within the first few weeks of January and now Animal Collective is closing out the year with a cute little reminder of how hard they just choose to get down. Gotta appreciate that kind of fan service.
This song is a fucking sunset-down, bottles-up slow jam. For the first couple mintutes, your not quite sure what the fuck Animal Collective wants of you. Should I be brooding under the weight under my own self doubt? Don’t worry about it humble listener! After a few mintutes of drum breaks, Panda Bear decides to cut the bullshit when he drops a sample of his own damn vocals repeating “what would I want? sky”. What the fuck does that even mean you ask? If you have to ask, you aren’t slow-moshing intensly enough.
Seriously, I can’t even finish typing this description efficiently because I’m doing it with one hand; as I listen to this song, one hand inexplicably is in the sky raging out, horns up; I can’t even control this shit its become part of my damn muscle memory.
-jakeyp (buzzed)
