[foxtrot]

Don't blame you roop. I'm struggling too! Especially now that Now is NOW.

2. r_o_s_s
Panic: I think what blows me away about Ark is that, for me, it doesn’t just feel like people communing with nature. It IS nature. On tracks like Panic, AC aren't just immersing themselves in nature - they’re the ones making those sounds. They are nature. They somehow become the awesome power of nature with just their instruments and voices. The strangeness and the beauty and the violence and the growth and the decay. Panic is totally wild and untamed and incredible.

Fickle Cycle: Tikwid is my pick for best Feels b-side but this one comes close. Love the rolling melody of the first part and the stop start finish. They contrast each other so well. The whole song is classic Feels energy and I love it.

Mr Fingers: A lot of people love this one and I am one of those people. ODDSAC really was a strange beast of its own and this song captures its unique energy so well. That creepy element that runs through all the ODDSAC tracks is so distinct. Love every section of this beast.

Crimson: Talked about this one quite a bit earlier. Wonderful track that, along with Gotham, could have completely transformed CHz. I love this one in particular as it feels like a rare case of a slower, more stripped back song that Avey still screams in.

Car Keys (Gregg Turkington Remix): I've listened to this twice and I just can't get into it. The rhythm and placement of Noah's vocals are so odd and even after a second spin just don't fall into place in any way that I can vibe with.

14. trillstone
April & The Phantom: Even more than Alvin Row I feel like this song sums up Spirit. The vocal performance is absolutely insane.

What I Do: Lost gem that could have been fleshed out into a top tier track. I love the bones and tropical vibes. That main sample is delicious.

College: Can't deny the Beach Boys SMiLE vibe. This is probably where the comparisons began. I love how tongue-in-cheek it is. Perfect little respite in the middle of ST. The harmonies are stunning and the lyric is a great example of this album’s humour and feeling of disinhibition.

Bridge to Quiet: Love how unhurried the BtQ tracks are and this one is a great example. Lots of awesome textures during the intro. So mucky! Then when the beat suddenly reveals itself things have such a playful momentum. I love the way it feels like the beat is a living thing that finds Avey's rhythm then jumps in. Keen to jam and join the action. Heaps of radical backing vocals in this one. The guitar, just like the beat, suddenly jumps in. It's like people jamming around a campfire. Panda's backing vocal part (try it oooonn!) is classic. Awesome song. Not an all timer but just solid and enjoyable with lots of details to explore.

Just Am: Probably my favourite on Sleep Cycle so I'm really glad you picked it trillstone. I think the beat and the sense space and the slow way the song unfurls all really work with Deakin's style. Contributes to this sort of meditative quality. The chorus just soars. Can't imagine not being swept up by it. His guitar part in the middle is so simple yet the tone is so bright and impactful. In my top three Deeks squeaks.

[nothingmastered]

Panic - Man if I ate acid covered pizza and watched them perform this song I would NOT be ok. I actually admire the guy that politely told them they were playing Satan's music or what have you. This is music actually from hell. Pretty amazing though, Panda's effected vocals at the end when it quiets down are interesting

Fickle Cycle - Love this. Really comes alive in concert. The Feels production style hampers it a bit

Mr Fingers - So sick. I think they used the sound of the flames spinning in this one? The build up is wonderful, would cook live

Crimson - I love the instrumentation and sonics. Superb vocal performance from Avey. Great song that I need to hear more.

Car Keys (Gregg Turkington Remix): This started out pretty clunky, but kinda came together in the middle "hold me" and at the end. The dramatic minor key end reminded me of Zelda. I enjoyed the twists and turns.

[tay's tee games]

Definitely seem to be aligning with the general sentiments, so let's go.

Week 7 - r_o_s_s

Panic
I first listened to Ark because the band had played Slippi live and I thought it was a new song. I was pretty surprised by how the recorded version sounded but listening through the album for the first time Panic was definitely the standout. Pretty sure it’s still my favourite. So beautiful even though it’s so obtuse in a way, and perfectly evokes its title. Is this this the first proper example of Avey, Deak and Panda singing in unison? Slightly niche reference perhaps but it reminds me of the Kid A blips that Radiohead aired on tv leading up to the album’s release - or even the similar blips they had as part of the In Rainbows rollout which ended up on Scotch Mist.

Fickle Cycle
This should really have been on People. Would’ve made it a better EP. It’s energetic, highly dynamic and anthemic but I feel like the mix doesn’t do it a huge amount of favours. Seems like the song from that era that beat represents the 2004 boots, which were more raw and biting than Feels or a people turned out to be imo. I personally favour the more tender moments from around that time but this is a great artefact and it was very cool to see them bring it back for the pre-Skiffs tour.

Mr Fingers
Hell of an opener to set the tone for such an off-kilter project. Builds so well and has that real "something ain't right, something's about to go down" vibe about it. Also perfect transition into Kindle Song. ODDSAC was the first properly new AC release for me since I became a fan in the MPP era when everything sounded familiar, even FBK, so I had no idea what to expect. Hearing this as the introduction to a new era was beyond jarring but super exciting.

Crimson
This goes well with Gotham in the category of Avey very clearly and plainly spilling his guts on the table for all to see. Like foxtrot said, cool to hear Avey scream in a slower more stripped back song. Wish I had gotten to see this as their set closer! It sort of perfectly showcases what was at the core of most Avey-led CHz songs but without all the swirliness in the mix. Not a million miles of Down There material, purely in terms of structure and transparency.

Car Keys (Gregg Turkington remix)
This is comically dismal. Obviously the placement of the vocals in the first half is just downright wrong but everything about it is lazy. The stock fake drums from Garageband, the whimpy synth swells at the end, the Avey vocals layered on top of each other to make it seem sorta psychedelic. Is it a joke? Is it meant to be terrible? I truly don't understand it and can't fathom why the band would have this attached to their name.

Week 7 - trillstone

April & The Phantom
Let's be real guys, this is the real Spirit opener. It includes everything that makes Spirit what it is - shuffling and skittering drums that suddenly start pounding, quickly strummed acoustic guitar, childlike wander, a dreamy section that makes you want to dance on a lake or something. Joy and melancholy. It's been said ad infinitum but my god this is such an impressive composition for somebody so young. The first ever Avey screams too!!

What I Do
This is so unbelievably Person Pitch meets MPP live era versions of older songs. It's cool and would've made for either a good tune in its fleshed out form or a fun addition to something like Ballet Slippers. I wouldn't say in the form we have it it's a great tune or anything, but definitely fun. Really reminds me of the end of Bros and maybe MPP-era WCWAR.

College
Favourite song on Sung Tongs and top 10 (possibly 5) AC songs. Everything about it is perfect to me. I can't really articulate how delicious it is to my ears. I always wanted a 5 minute version of this, which is possibly why I always adored King's Walk haha.

Bridge to Quiet
Takes its time to get going but it does eventually get there. I'm not wild about the EP but this is the strongest song on it I think. It's got a cool groove to it, it's well mixed and the Panda vox are spot on. Definitely catchy and has (what I assume to be) those now-classic Deak stabs that are maybe baritone guitar power-esque chords or just a nice grizzly synth. Saying that now I realise how much of a close connection it has to the PW live era - those root note chords, the click clack watery percussion, the sugary sweet noise and piddle paddle bits of keys. It's just taking a laid back approach with its pace, Avey's vocals and that kinda twangy lead guitar.

Just Am
Cool song. Twists and turns. Lots of lush sounds. I find Deakin's lyrics can be a tad too straightforward but he's obviously coming into his own in a major way. The quality of this mix is top tier in the realm of solo AC. Also a great choice for a lead single because it doesn't really play along the same lines as the rest of the AC-universe but shares enough similarities that it fits, whereas stuff like Footy and Good House sound perhaps too much like they could've slotted in on other records.

[Night Park]

R_o_s_s picks

Panic
The delay on the vocals is wild and hallucinatory and evokes a big outdoor space, like a canyon. I’m reminded of the monolith scene in 2001. Things get real demented at the halfway mark, with what sounds like a pterodactyl shrieking. The terrifying ending leaves us with piercing feedback and those creepy-ass vocals.

Fickle Cycle
Had the privilege of seeing this live at Pitchfork in 2021, what a fucken blast this song is. The guitars are playful and pastel against Avey’s crazed ranting – a classic AC juxtaposition. The blistering tempo and frantic rim shots give a real sense of urgency. Avey’s falsetto hook at 1:52 is startling, hilarious and magical. Absolutely love his vocal fx in this era. Then a tranquil reprieve, with bitcrushed wind blowing through smeared electric guitar, before we launch back into it. Odd and wonderful track

Mr Fingers
The defining Oddsac track and a glimpse into a sinister, widescreen sound the band hasn’t done before or since. A nagging, metallic alarm taunts us and warns us away. The massive drum hits and sub bass are HEAVY. Bit of Fever Ray in this one. I absolutely love the groaning synth sound at 2:54 (which I tried my best to replicate at the 1-min mark of my song Coda Geo) This song speeds by despite its runtime, finally sinking into a river of whirring noise and enveloping vocals. Spine-tingling. One of my favorite AC outros and all-time songs.

Crimson
I hadn’t examined the lyrics until this week – seems like a meditation on the violence inherent in life and nature. The imagery is pretty cinematic and I can’t help but think of McCarthy’s Blood Meridian, which I recently finished. Crimson blood. “Are we safe at home tonight?” Storm clouds looming over a desert expanse. The paranoia gives way to a light-hearted ending with the explosion of Deak’s gleeful guitar run at 3:00 and the cute synth that seems to be in conversation with Avey. I prefer Gotham but dig this one too

Car Keys (Gregg Turkington Remix)
I guess a member of Tim Heikdecker’s cohort did this remix? Not a fan at all.

trillstone picks

April & The Phantom
This was an immediate favorite on my first listen of Spirit. The synth lead transports me back to playing Diddy Kong Racing with my brother on the N64 on Christmas morning. Love the dubby bassline, the jazzy drumming, and the busy vocals as Avey sings “she ran out in naaaturrrrrrre.” The twitchy acoustic guitar adds a lot

What I Do
A proto-Bros (band version)? It’s cool for what it is, but I’m glad Panda went his own way with the sample. It’s neat that their solo work informs and interacts with the band output (I Think I Can, Song for Ariel/Guys Eyes and New Town Burnout come to mind)

College
A cheeky little sketch with really cool harmonies and squelchy sounds. Love the way their voices compliment each other. A perfect bridge between Visiting Friends and We Tigers. The band deserves more credit for their sense of humor

Bridge to Quiet
Fantastic track from a very solid EP. I dig all the low pass going on in the intro. I feel like that’s a trick they don’t use often, and it gives the song a feeling of emerging from a fog or swamp. The simple rhythm section gives Avey room to play with one of his most immediate memories in recent years. Lots of ear candy here – the watery percussion, the muffled background vocals and finally that gorgeous yearning guitar, which along with Panda’s vocals, really push this song to the next level. Coming off the short and snappy Painting With, it was nice to hear them stretch their legs a bit with this release

Just Am
Graceful and haunting. I dig the piano and the chord progression in the chorus always surprises me. “Dad I can’t see, I’ve lost my voice, I need direction” is a heartbreaking and vulnerable line – if you haven’t yet listened to Deak’s recent podcast interview, do so immediately. The references to “home” and “building” seem directly related to his work as a carpenter

[tay's tee games]

Night Park wrote:

Mr Fingers
The defining Oddsac track and a glimpse into a sinister, widescreen sound the band hasn’t done before or since. A nagging, metallic alarm taunts us and warns us away. The massive drum hits and sub bass are HEAVY.

Big time.

[madameghostly]

PANIC: i never appreciated how nice the end of this track is before. i guess i just always thought of it as the rude awakening screaming track after the bliss of infant dressing table. not that i don't like this particular rude awakening, but gosh that last minute or so is real pretty

FICKLE CYCLE: like i've said before, definitely my favorite of the feels b-sides. the fast part never fails to get me dancing in my chair, the slow part is gorgeous, and that HUGE burst of energy at the end is just pure catharsis

MR. FINGERS: i definitely need to acquaint myself with oddsac better some time soon, cause this is a great opener. also i can't say for sure who exactly is on lead vocals but it sounds like deakin - is this the first such case in the AC discography?

CRIMSON: heartbreaking. this should have been on centipede hz

CAR KEYS (GREGG TURKINGTON REMIX): yeah this is about what i expected from the guy that gave us hot february night

APRIL AND THE PHANTOM: oh, young avey, what a master troll you were. "phew," the unexperienced listener thinks, "thank goodness the assault on the upper registers of my hearing that was spirit they've vanished is over. surely the twinkly fairy synth opening the second song is a sign that it will be more easy on the ears-- AUUUUUUUUUUUUGH"

jokes aside i love this song. perfect balance of joyous whimsy and depression

WHAT I DO: hooray, another song they only played once and never again that i'm only just now listening to for the first time! pretty good, but this is very clearly panda's doing, which is funny because they also played bonfire of the vanities at the same session. never knew there were so many person pitch outtakes. also the fact that this performance was credited to the whole band almost makes me wonder if person pitch was always gonna be a solo album

COLLEGE: i know this was (allegedly) made to make fun of people comparing them to the beach boys, but can you even blame those people when avey and panda do the beach boys harmonies so well? also this song is the reason i didn't go to college

okay not really but could you imagine

BRIDGE TO QUIET: perfect way to end the titular EP. the long intro and long outro give me live AC vibes. also i don't usually care much about music videos but the music video for this is really cute and you should check it out if you haven't already seen it

JUST AM: another sign that sleep cycle is a masterpiece. i love the way he hits those high notes on the pre-chorus(?) and that ascending piano riff makes me ascend

[tay's tee games]

madameghostly wrote:

MR. FINGERS: it sounds like deakin - is this the first such case in the AC discography?

It's Avey - I think there's even a show in the mid-late 00's where he sort of played it??

madameghostly wrote:

perfect balance of joyous whimsy and depression

You've basically just summed up AC haven't you?

[dansemanatee]

madameghostly wrote:

also this song is the reason i didn't go to college

okay not really but could you imagine

I dropped out of college and to be honest if it weren't for this song I probably would't have been able to do that

[dansemanatee]

tay's tee games wrote:

It's Avey - I think there's even a show in the mid-late 00's where he sort of played it??

2008-01-20 — Avey Tare, Deakin, and Kria Brekkan
Glasslands Gallery, New York, NY, USA
1. [untitled]
mp3: http://www.mediafire.com/?4535051e5kh8m9g
flac/ogg: http://archive.org/details/AveyTareDeak ... 0.nyctaper

[foxtrot]

Sorry team, been away and haven’t had a chance to do the last draw yet. Coming soon!

[foxtrot]

WEEK 8 DRAW:

Final week. Huge thanks to those that have kept this alive. I’ve loved reading people’s reflections/write ups. I’ve also found a new love for so many tracks. So, last draw...

Entries 16 and 24!

16. blindmowing
Sponge Luke, My Favorite Colors, Honeycomb, Loch Raven, Ponytail


24. madameghostly
Wide Eyed, Catchy (Was Contagious), Tropic of Cancer, Jake and Me, Cranked

[madameghostly]

wow, i'm so honored! i'd like to thank the random number generator for picking me... aaaaaaaand i'd also like to thank the random number generator for not making us listen to monkey been to burn town

guess i should go ahead and say something about the songs i picked real quick

WIDE EYED: probably my favorite song of the chz era. i love the groove it gets into, and (what i assume is) deakin's first time leading an AC song leaves a very good first impression. beautiful lyrics about the ups and downs of bringing a new life into this world. also that breakdown at the end! i love songs that sound like they're crumbling under their own weight at the end. so much to love here

CATCHY (WAS CONTAGIOUS): guaranteed to get rid of evil spirits in all your friends! enter the slasher house is an album that has no shortage of earworms, and i suppose it's very fitting that this is one of the wormiest. not as good as the outlaw but still very fun to wiggle to. and are those latin rhythms? i love latin rhythms!

TROPIC OF CANCER: amazing atmosphere on this track, panda really outdoes himself the way he flips this sample. so beautiful and melancholy. this song makes me miss my mom

JAKE AND ME: don't know why, out of all the tracks on tangerine reef, i gravitated towards this one being my favorite, but i did. again, amazing atmosphere. love the high-pitched synths peeking in and out, and the bass notes slowly ascending and descending create a very suspenseful yet relaxing feel. also the title makes me think of jake from adventure time (:

CRANKED: okay i'll be honest i don't know why i decided to pick a buoys song to round out my little 2010s compilation ep (maybe i just wanted to play devil's advocate?) but as far as buoys songs go this one's pretty good. i like the synth that goes PEW PEW PEW

[Night Park]

blindmowing picks

Sponge Luke
Had never heard this before! A gorgeous slow-motion sleepytime arpeggio with Avey going stream of consciousness. Nice to get lost in. I like those blocky shuddering sounds that come in around 8:35.

My Favorite Colors
A lil sketch that captures all the elements that make Feels so magical – the tranquil piano and guitar smeared with delay, haunted by a spectral Avey. The sound of an impressionist springtime painting, greens and whites and blues. Cool for what it is, but I’m glad it didn’t make the album.

Honeycomb
A silly song that gets better as it goes. The tone kinda reminds me of the song Water Curses, which I love. I feel like this one really captures the alien rock band thing they were going for. Space desert cantina type beat. I really like the pre-chorus at 0:55 – that Banjo Kazooie synth, the way they crank the delay on Avey’s vocals at the end of each phrase. Super fun drums. I would maybe have recommended about 20% less chorus/phaser/flanger lol. A compact and punchy bop

Loch Raven
A hypnotic masterpiece. Great example of the band’s uncanny ability to marry abrasive textures with transcendent beauty. That piercing high frequency, Avey’s hurried whispers contrasting so perfectly with Panda’s longing melodies, and what sounds like an alien bird rattling its cage as the song fades out…it all tickles the brain ASMR-style. Also a great example of Panda’s singular drumming, so perfectly restrained here. Fun fact, this song was used to good effect in the A24 film Waves

Ponytail
Such a tender and perfect song, almost a hymn. I think Panda once described this as a sound-bridge from Person Pitch to Tomboy, which is spot-on. Sparse, muffled and enveloping – it’s impossibly good and reminds me of OG Preakness. The deep four-on-the-floor kick betraying some of Noah’s influences. I LOVE the weird detuned live intro he did for a while – a very ugly sound that gradually morphs into the familiar warmth of the studio recording. A timeless song


madameghostly picks

Wide Eyed
I feel the KEXP rendition is so vastly superior to the album cut, which just chugs on unremarkably and is overall pretty mid. The delicate nag champa vibe of the KEXP version is much better suited to Deak’s voice and melody

Catchy (Was Contagious)
Not a big Slasher guy but I enjoyed revisiting this! Makes me wanna give the album another shot. The very mix is very flat and strange but the chorus is infectious and the drumming is cool. Feels like this song has a little more headroom than most Slasher tunes

Tropic of Cancer
Great song. Panda really leans into his romantic crooner side on the vocals, while the beat is very Enya. He’s described this song as a consideration of cancer as just another organism fighting to survive like any other living thing – this is especially touching following the death of his father, and speaks to what an interesting and thoughtful person he is. The climactic hocketing at 3:54 is so moving. Love how he transposes the sample down into that minor key when he sings “won’t come back.” I also dig the music video

Jake and Me
I haven’t listened to this since TR dropped. Languid, aquatic, ambient jazz that would have been better as an instrumental — aveys vocals don’t serve this song imo

Cranked
Buoys is SO WEIRD. I don’t love the album but I think Panda is onto something as his solo work skews more minimal – the Sinister Grift material has me really excited. The prominent, repetitive laser sound on this song is definitely a choice. Would love to hear an acoustic version, because I like the chords and melody, but I find the production distracting. The tension breaks at 2:26 with that major chord. Love the wordless melody at 3:00 and wish there was a lot more of that

[madameghostly]

SPONGE LUKE: i, too, hadn't heard this one until now, and i like it! the calm bits almost sound like a cross between feels, strawberry jam, and ark, and the really noisy bit at around 5 minutes is good too

MY FAVORITE COLORS: yeah this one still doesn't really do anything for me, sorry. maybe i'd feel better about it if it was still attached to daffy duck, but i guess we'll never know what the studio version of that would have sounded like. and besides, i kinda like the way studio daffy duck ends

HONEYCOMB: probably my favorite chz b-side. now that i think about it, it's kinda funny that we ended up having all three chz b-sides over the course of the last three weeks

LOCH RAVEN: really good pick for the penultimate track on feels. when i realized it shares the "i will not give up on you" mantra with young prayer 6, it blew my mind. though, if they were gonna randomly name it after a lake in the baltimore area, why didn't they go with this one?

PONYTAIL: sticks out like a sore thumb but i don't hate it. it's very grounded, which i guess is just as good a way as any to end an album as crazy as person pitch

[foxtrot]

Promise I’ll get to these soon! No rush now!

[rohcti]

I think after IIN drops I'll have more motivation. Haven't been in the mood the last few weeks. Excited to dive into this week's tracks though