Collected Animals

holy shit, after a strangely emotional and reflective night I came home to listen to just am, and my god I understand the lyrics now.

just let go people, just be yourself and stop worrying, so you just am.

"you've got to let go, so you'll grow/then even when you feel blind, you'll still know"

call me corny but this speaks to me

Just dropping by to say: guys this album tho??? It's so gorgeous. Bravo deak :'U

hey deakin, not sure if you're still reading this thread, but just wondering if you might play any other shows aside from that festival in maryland? would love to catch a chicago show.

also come to sweden (take the boys with you!) and play at this venue:



(a lot of bands like to play there so it's worth a try if josh ever reads this )

^good point. sweden and chicago would be great.

chicago show could be here

want to give a shout out to the two bonus tracks, particularly sourgou

ty josh, amazing selection

10:30 in the super khoumeissa track...that beat took me on a ride last night josh did you record this? the percussion sounds so crisp

well.. its hitting me hard now... LOVING THIS SO MUCH... ohh man deakin killed it lololol... it is soooooooo goooooood are you kidding me,,,

Don’t wait too long your face is sown
Your fears won’t fail and new ones will show
Only steps you take will help you to grow
And when I hope, I hope I’m home
I’ll step inside and I’ll feel grown

andrew VB.
is that the hideout?

I am 99% sure that's a picture of the hideout yes
and I will echo his sentiments and say I would love to see you come play in Chicago. Missed you the last time you were in town.

we played at the hideout on Here Comes the Indian tour. dark but cool show and memory.

Oh wow that would have been something to experience.

Hey Josh, do you or any members of the band happen to have any Here Come the Indian recordings? Either audio or video? Not sure if anyone has ever asked you guys directly but we are dying for any kind of boots from that era

Wow!

This is seriously inspiring, really the best case in some time of patience and perseverance winning over negativity, insecurity, high expectations, hostility, and all that internet-amplified objectification.

I admire the quiet confidence - or confident silence? - in taking the time to get it right rather than rushing something out, even as seemingly all the music blogs and even a few of the drama-only gossip blogs take notice and start publishing on it, the tone ranging from "hipsters lol" to "you sure are lazy!" to "you sure are stupid!" to "you sure are a scammer!" to "YOU ARE EVIL INCARNATE!" Per that recent interview, it's also a testament to taking the time to get *yourself* right, recognizing how damaging it can be to ignore your own signals and warnings because you need to get there NOW while the buzz is buzzing.

So basically in any case I'd feel good about the way things turned out, but isn't it so much better that on top of all that we get an album this good? It's just astonishingly good! The whole vibe and flow and feel is warm and inviting and joyful WHILE ALSO so cohesive as to feel like one unified infinite thing (on some monad shit) - by which I mean it's seamlessly circular, really pulling off what the title implies.

The big reference point is Van Dyke Parks (whose Song Cycle is also amazing on repeat). The sound palette, the length and form, the intricate sound design and wealth of textures, the masterful arrangement and production - these all scream PARKS! What's really cool though is that despite all that, the record is unmistakably his own - its being, at a very high level, is receptive and expressive simultaneously. And because of that, or for the same reasons, it unites the singer and the listener and the song as only art that finds a way through like this can. It's the principle behind the whole trinitarian deal (which isn't exclusively Christian and shouldn't be dismissed as such!) and that my friends is what I'm thinking of when I think about "magic" in music.

Congratulations dude, the payoff was so worth it. Instant classic status in my book.

GOD DAMN IT DEAKIN. I CAN'T STOP LISTENING.

andrew VB.
is that the hideout?

you got it! good memory. any chance of some shows?

Guys.

I like this album. But I feel it's being severely over rated. Been hearing people say it's the best anco release ever, or that it's the best thing since MPP. Ridiculous...It's good, don't get me wrong but those are extremely bold statements, and while I do like the album, I don't think the statements are justified.

It's unfair to compare it to any of the other AC records. Sleep Cycle is it's own thing.

lol tetsuo, but why would u care enough to take issue with the reaction on this board? pointing out yr issues with the album is obviously fine, but just saying "yal are way too into this" seems so weird. yr like the 2nd or 3rd person to do that. u dont have 2 take part in hyping it along w/ everyone else, but i just feel like going online to be like "this isn't as good as yal think it is" is so weird. eh whatev tho.

/reacting to a reaction to reactions..

anyway, really love how diverse this is for being somewhat shorter... in 30 min you get soundscape-y ambience, beautiful acoustic guitar AND trippy psych guitars, a noisey freakout, meditative chanting ambience and more beautiful spacey songwritng... and then 2 awesome Mali jams...

but ya im rlly impressed with how expressive and diverse this album is when you play through the whole thing. and then it still has this really cohesive and unified mood despite visiting different sorts of headspaces...

Footy is kind of the emotional centerpiece, literally and figuratively for me... definitely amps me up... that song is so crazy and triumphant and chaotic sounding..... then i feel like Just Am and Good House almost feel like theyre related in a way... whole thing feels like a delicious suite

I don't think the statements are justified.

Subjectivity don't need no justification. "You like it or you don't..."

we are so lucky to be fans of these guys. how many times these guys have been there with a helping hand spiritually through tough times...feels, strawberry jam, person pitch, down there, tomboy, centipede... all really really important albums to me.. that helped me through the toughest times.

to get this out of seemingly nowhere, at this really rough time in my life, is such a gift.

the lyrics are really inspiring and therapeutic..
the melodies and feeling of the album are just.. amazing..

thanks deakin

the harmony at 4:42 in "just am" is particularly satisfying.

and then the "stop holding" right after--so good

What's interesting about this particular release is that the lyrics have a meta-narrative attached to their meaning. The initial analysis of the lyrics are about Deakin's inner struggles, which we hear him trying to work out and release throughout the songs. Theses songs are very personal, very relatable and on their own, from a poetic stand point, very well written.
The meta-narrative to the songs comes in when relating the themes within the songs to the history of this release. As we all know, this took close to 7 years to complete with the media and some fans questioning and criticizing Deakin's intentions for the project. So when we hear him sing "you've got to be brave," "I've lost time, I've lost minds," or "you always find reasons you're frightened," etc. you can connect those words to how he was feeling, trying to conquer these challenges ahead of him. He's singing about his process in a way we can all understand, appreciate, and benefit from. I can't think of another album that has done this

If this album came out in 2012, sounding the same way as it does now, I don't think it'd be nearly as effective

The journey that is Sleep Cycle - it's just breathtaking. I love how the songs unfold. It feels to me that it sets you up on a voyage that is filled with discovery, and doubt, and awe... And then Footy....
Footy, Footy, Footy... That song, to me, is like a giant push back. It feels like the moment where you're sqeezed and overwhelmed by life, then you get your footing, and finally, you claw your way past. Its dark and triumphant all at once. Anthemic in a way. The end of the album just brings me a sense of tranquility and settling in. I cant imagine the songs in any other arrangement/order. Sweetness, Deak. Total sweetness.

thank you for this thing you've created josh.

it has moved me in a way music hasn't in the last year or so.

please continue creating at whatever pace feels right.

much love -

Guys.

I like this album. But I feel it's being severely over rated. Been hearing people say it's the best anco release ever, or that it's the best thing since MPP. Ridiculous...It's good, don't get me wrong but those are extremely bold statements, and while I do like the album, I don't think the statements are justified.

while i think it is silly to compare albums in the first place, i don't think it's that bold of a statement to say that it is the best thing since mpp...ok, maybe best ac release ever is pretty bold (so many good albums!), but just bc it's bold doesn't mean it's not genuine...why shouldn't people be allowed to feel that way about this album? there really isn't any need for justification...maybe i feel like monkey been to burn town is the best ac release since panda bear s/t, i wouldn't have any obligation to 'justify' thinking it is the 'best' release, simply enjoying it the most would be sufficient

I saw my friend off to the bus that was visiting me, and went to the park before I had to go into work to listen to this. I laid in the sunlight, just crying listening to this. It really penetrated me deeply. Hit me on a very spiritual level, and gave me a lot of courage with my own own grief, fears, and inability to let go. This couldn't have come in a better time for me, I felt like I had a friend directly communicating and reaching out as I listened to this. Thanks Josh, this truly is beautiful!

Also, I saw that some of this was recorded in New Orleans, I lived there for four years. I saw you were part of the music box last year, which my close friend shivers helps construct. That city means a lot to me, glad to see it has a part in this record.

To see HCTI at the Hideout would've been a fever dream my god

Would love to experience Sleep Cycle there

I saw my friend off to the bus that was visiting me, and went to the park before I had to go into work to listen to this.

Haha

Love this

Must have been an interesting visit

You have a sweet job

lol Tropic you goof

Just dropping by to say that this album blew me away more than any other new release since I discovered the band in 2011.

I felt like I had a friend directly communicating and reaching out as I listened to this. .

This.

never looked at bandcamp's blog before, but they have an article about sleep cycle: https://blog.bandcamp.com/2016/04/08/an ... his-voice/

mostly reiterations of stuff said in the p4k interview, and gets a bit bandcamp preachy at the end, but probably still worth a read

Awesome! Thanks roopn

i'll be interested to see the reviews for this start trickling in

i'll be interested to see the reviews for this start trickling in

Me too.

I predict that Pitchfork'll give it an 8.0 with no it's ok and Joe Biden will give it a strong 6 to a light 7.

Not that I care, just speculating.

Just dropping by to say that this album blew me away more than any other new release since I discovered the band in 2011.

this is a great point. i started listening to AC around 2011 and fell in love soon after. after 7 or 8 listens, i think this is the best release from the boys since i became a fan.

I need these mantras right now, thanks Deak.