[speen]

this album is utterly unearthly. I listen to it all the time as a lullaby, and it's still amazing to me that this was created by humans. how is moo rah rah rain real

There's tons of things to appreciate about this album, in my view. The incredible, natural atmosphere... the sound of wind... the whispery guitar and voices.... and the lyrics are at a level of poetry that I don't think AC was ever at again, outside of spirit

[HowardTJMoon]

It'd be real nice on vinyl, even if it was broken up.

[jetski]

This album is so magical, a real treat to have in AC's discography. Best listened to at night, in my opinion

[we tigers]

Victor_Borge wrote:

Best listened to at night, in my opinion

This is one of my favorite albums to listen to as I'm falling asleep. There's something about being in that barely-awake, mostly-asleep headspace and the gentle soundscape of the music that just hits me somewhere really special.

Doggy also is so touching and heartbreaking and really encapsulates the feeling of being so madly in love with my first dog for me, even if the lyrics aren't always about that.

Idk, maybe more than any of their other albums, this one takes me somewhere soft and sentimental and safe.

[jetski]

Oh man I love to fall asleep to this album too

Queen in My Pictures is at once calming and entrancing

[Untitled]

Isnt falling asleep to it its purpose kind of....

[we tigers]

i feel like the rhythm guitar in Queen in My Pictures works like the sound of rain falling.

[bansheebeaten]

I'd kill for this on vinyl aaah. no matter what they have to do to get it on there.

I can put de soto de son on repeat and just bliss out forever. I want it to be my theme song

[speen]

we tigers wrote:

Victor_Borge wrote:

Best listened to at night, in my opinion

This is one of my favorite albums to listen to as I'm falling asleep. There's something about being in that barely-awake, mostly-asleep headspace and the gentle soundscape of the music that just hits me somewhere really special.

Doggy also is so touching and heartbreaking and really encapsulates the feeling of being so madly in love with my first dog for me, even if the lyrics aren't always about that.

Idk, maybe more than any of their other albums, this one takes me somewhere soft and sentimental and safe.

I was literally going to say everything in this post. That half-asleep state is the best way to hear this. It's such a perfect way to fall asleep.

I think Queen In My Pictures is my favorite AC song, actually. The guitar and the voices pulses like the rain and the wind, and the lyrics perfectly capture the feeling of being completely in love with someone.

[CokePotCrack]

Awesome album, great job! But yeah, so fucking beautiful and special, it's insane. Haunting as a motherfucker. Idk that' s a horrible review, but you get the idea haha.

[speen]

just dm'ed deak on instagram telling him how awesome campfire songs is. wonder if he'll respond lol

Edit: He responded. immediately. Thanked me for the compliment, said he's incredibly proud of that album, and said that Noah did the cover art in watercolor. I had no idea!

[ImpendingPeacefish]

demonclusters wrote:

just dm'ed deak on instagram telling him how awesome campfire songs is. wonder if he'll respond lol

Edit: He responded. immediately. Thanked me for the compliment, said he's incredibly proud of that album, and said that Noah did the cover art in watercolor. I had no idea!

Is this real life?

[roopn]

Nah did it? No way! I always loved that little painting. Thanks demonclusters

[Gool Aid]

love love love campfire songs, my favorite time to listen to it is on a chill spring day in the grass. when i worked at a dog kennel I would listen to it a whole bunch when i was walking the dogs on the kennels nature trail, that was my favorite time listening to the album

[archie]

queen in my pictures nvr fails to get me rly calm
this album is just so perfect

[Tico]

Untitled wrote:

Isnt falling asleep to it its purpose kind of....

No

[lhtd]

The setting of the sun

[jfw7]

also racism

[ghastlyorchid]

Here's my thoughts on De Soto De Son:
If this song is about the sunset, it would make sense that "color" people would be sad (oh no), and marshmallow people would be happy (oh yeah). The sun is setting, so the colors are disappearing. Humans pretty much only see in black and white in the darkness, even once your eyes have adjusted. At sunset it is also maybe time to light a campfire, and roast marshmallows. I don't think it's about racism.
However, I always thought it was about a sunrise, until I looked closely. There's all these phrases like "let in the light," "wake up," and "good way to rise." But there's also suggestions that it's about a sunset, like the weird color/marshmallow people thing above. There's also the phrase "the sky has brakes," and they are saying goodbye to the heron, which as far as I know, is a diurnal animal.
I think the key is in the title, which refers de Hernando de Soto. Here's the stanza that the title comes from: "The sky has brakes / What a good way to rise / De Soto de Son will probably take all day / On his side of the world they're taking their time." There's a direct sunrise/sunset contrast. Hernando de Soto was Spanish, so his side of the world might be Europe, but he is also most famous for exploring the southern-eastern U.S. He is the first known European to have crossed the Mississippi. Let's assume Avey is talking about eastern hemisphere. The eastern U.S. and Spain are only 5 hours apart, but we can assume Avey didn't think super carefully about his geography. When it is morning here, it is evening there.
So in conclusion: I think De Soto De Son is about the relativity of time. Phew...

[speen]

ghastlyorchid wrote:

I think the key is in the title, which refers de Hernando de Soto. Here's the stanza that the title comes from: "The sky has brakes / What a good way to rise / De Soto de Son will probably take all day / On his side of the world they're taking their time."

I never looked too far into the "de soto" part, because I always figured it was Avey messing with wordplay again. If you listen to the crack box version, you clearly hear him sing "the set of the sun will probably take all day"

[ghastlyorchid]

Haha, you're probably right. But still, there is the line "on his side of the world." And there is definitely a lot that points to a sunrise instead of a sunset.
It's very frustrating/interesting to analyze AC songs for that reason, because the lyrics (and often, the lyric sheets) can't really be trusted. They're so interpretive and there are so many possibilities for meaning.

[bansheebeaten]

helping me through another sleepless night

what a beautiful flawless album

[CokePotCrack]

Totally. This album is so amazing.

[stevienixx]

This may not be their album I listen to when I'm driving to work, but man when I get home after a long day.... Rolling up a fatty and listening to Campfire Songs just takes me to the summertime.

I get the people who think of it as a great lullaby for night listening, especially with the reference of Campfire in the album's title, but I love blasting this in the middle of the day with the windows open. Either way, it makes me feel like a kid again enjoying the wonders of the Summer outdoors without a worry about schoolwork, snow, or the sun going down before 6.

[Pan]

Their most underrated album
and moo rah rah rain is their most underrated song
it is a kind of beautiful sadness I haven't heard elsewhere

[jetski]

Pan wrote:

and moo rah rah rain is their most underrated song
it is a kind of beautiful sadness I haven't heard elsewhere

That's true. I think when I first got into this album, it still took a while before Moo Rah Rah Rain really clicked for me. It moves so slowly but that lends a lot of weight to the words and melodies. I love the way that they let the silence linger a bit after each chord, one of AC's best uses of empty space