Though oddly he’s not credited in the physical liner notes at all?
per the jordan/greg interview, he didn't really write the song- i think just suggested the title. panda bear wanted to give it to him, but it never made it past demo version on cass' side, and that demo is what will be released for rsd (with one changed lyric, apparently)
I see, thank you! Need to watch that full interview
Re: SINISTER GRIFT
Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2025 12:11 am
by jordanrandall
awesome wrote:
gregphipps37 wrote:
Here's the full interview with Noah and Josh!
nice interview! lots of great tidbits to hear...... curious about the luka trade getting cut —— do you remember his take? prob the same as everyone else's
did we know about brian's hurdy gurdy album already? (noah's desert island geologist choice) super keen to hear that from the little live clips i heard a while back
man this album is great. just as well is so bouncy, love praise too
Re: SINISTER GRIFT
Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2025 12:49 am
by unrecordednight
anyone got all the lyrics they can post here?
Re: SINISTER GRIFT
Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2025 1:35 am
by Hellomark
Defense as the lead single is unfortunate, but I at least get the logic behind it. It has the big drums, big vocals, Cindy Lee feature... but Ferry Lady as the second single is the real headscratcher to me. In the context of the album I think it works extremely well as sort of a mood piece that leads you into the darker second half, but isolated I think it may be my least favorite thing here.
Re: SINISTER GRIFT
Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2025 1:49 am
by MFpotus
Hellomark wrote:
Defense as the lead single is unfortunate, but I at least get the logic behind it. It has the big drums, big vocals, Cindy Lee feature... but Ferry Lady as the second single is the real headscratcher to me. In the context of the album I think it works extremely well as sort of a mood piece that leads you into the darker second half, but isolated I think it may be my least favorite thing here.
I agree completely. Was similarly confused by Walker and even Dolphin before that. Domino should hire us to pick singles.
Re: SINISTER GRIFT
Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2025 2:37 am
by pox
i agree ferry lady and ends meet sound a lot better in album context. i like defense as a single but it too works better on the album. praise and just as well both would have made more sense as early singles. nothing else leaps out at me as single material.
that being said, i lowered my expectations for this album based on the aforementioned singles. as it turns out, i loved it right away and think it's up there with his best. readying myself for disappointment was the right move. glad to see this one connecting with people.
the only sequencing that puzzles me is anywhere but here. track 2 is a bit early to bring the energy down imo and it's also probably my least favorite track. like stan, i'm not keen on spoken word usually. not a bad song at all though.
early favorite song is venom's in, an instant classic. other people have already described it better than i could. but the whole whole back half of the album is mesmerizing.
Re: SINISTER GRIFT
Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2025 3:00 am
by howsoever
Confused at the Anywhere But Here reactions. I think it’s my second favorite on the album—truly earnest, has those Dean Blunt guitars, a really sweet family team-up that feels full circle for the man who’s written about his children for 20 years, and a blues-y construction.
Re: SINISTER GRIFT
Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2025 3:37 am
by jerry wonder
Have listened through about 5 times now--first listen I really was unimpressed (sounded so trite), second listen piqued something, and third, in the car, really sealed it for me: it's pretty great, and in a way that I would never have expected a PB or AC record to be. I have been following the band for over 20 years and would have hated this kind of music when I first became a fan in 2004. But I have grown, and so has Noah, and I just get it. As you get older some of the need for obfuscation and mystique lifts.
It is hard to pick favorite tracks as they are all so equally strong, but right now loving Ferry Lady, Venom's In, and Left in The Cold--what a stretch!
Re: SINISTER GRIFT
Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2025 3:39 am
by rohcti
Defense is actually amazing, although I heard the single many times, it still hit hard in the album context. Elegy might be my favorite though? Just as Well close 2nd... so far.
Re: SINISTER GRIFT
Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2025 3:48 am
by Hellomark
NO SECOND GUESSING GUT FEELING POWER RANKING:
1 anywhere but here
2 praise
3 venoms in
4 ends meet
5 elegy
6 left in the cold
7 50mg
8 defense
9 just as well
10 ferry lady
Re: SINISTER GRIFT
Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2025 4:09 am
by Dewey
This is the hardest album for me to rank wow. After 3 listens (trying not to wear this one out), this has become one of my favs of the last couple years. Every track a gem. No other anco release has gripped me like this since pbvgr. But...
1. Anywhere
2. Venom
3. Cold
4. Praise
5. Defense
6. Ferry
7. Elegy
8. Just As Well
9. Ends
10. 50mg
Subject to change in next 10 minutes
Re: SINISTER GRIFT
Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2025 4:11 am
by muark
howsoever wrote:
Confused at the Anywhere But Here reactions. I think it’s my second favorite on the album—truly earnest, has those Dean Blunt guitars, a really sweet family team-up that feels full circle for the man who’s written about his children for 20 years, and a blues-y construction.
Totally agree, it’s my favourite on the album and works well in the tracklist imo. The melody, the fucking harmonies! So dope.
Circling back around on Just as Well now too, it’s quite nice! But certainly the weakest cut. Reading the lyrics to Praise after hearing it’s about his son hits deep. Coming from a young man with an estranged dad especially. What a deeply emotional and sincere work of art, bravo Noah.
Re: SINISTER GRIFT
Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2025 4:48 am
by rohcti
unrecordednight wrote:
anyone got all the lyrics they can post here?
Re: SINISTER GRIFT
Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2025 4:55 am
by Alcohol
Great interview with Josh and Noah. Most interesting moment was Noah's "ahem," the one that confirmed how frustrated he (and Josh, seemingly) is with recording Animal Collective. Can't help but assume Dave is the obvious variable...
Re: SINISTER GRIFT
Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2025 5:18 am
by roopn
Alcohol wrote:
Great interview with Josh and Noah. Most interesting moment was Noah's "ahem," the one that confirmed how frustrated he (and Josh, seemingly) is with recording Animal Collective. Can't help but assume Dave is the obvious variable...
eh, I'd say living cities (or further) apart for decades and having the most recent album cycle kneecapped by covid is the more obvious explanation
Re: SINISTER GRIFT
Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2025 5:55 am
by tealtimes
Alcohol wrote:
Can't help but assume Dave is the obvious variable...
this is a "Flight is about Noah leaving Animal Collective" level assumption
Re: SINISTER GRIFT
Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2025 5:56 am
by Dewey
At the end of the day, can we all agree.... indie rock is back in a crazy ass way?
Re: SINISTER GRIFT
Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2025 6:19 am
by headroom)))
Beautiful album, recorded and mixed where all the elements have a strong presence. Really felt the strength of the mix on Defense. It initially sounded kinda boring to me, but the lushness of the notes came through as the sonics of the album started to settle and make sense in my brain in on the second listen.
"Ends Meet" reminds me of Crackerbox Palace George Harrison, and that puts a big smile on my face
Also, double drum fill intros on Track 1 and 3?! Preposterous! This man truly don't give a fukk now. Both are sick drum parts tho, so not complaining.
Favorite track so far is Ferry Lady. "Thought we could be friends" is such a quintessential break up feeling. PB's voice sounds great on this one and its really great to hear non-harmony vocal tracks from him.
Re: SINISTER GRIFT
Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2025 6:22 am
by roopn
sorry for ig link, but love this photo josh posted of noah listening back to a mix or something... zoned in. Josh's caption is really sweet too. glad he's getting the recognition for his production, which has always been great. I particularly love his work on Down there and Eucalyptus.
Quote from Josh on ig regarding the Cass McCombs writing credit on Venom’s In:
“noah had originally given that song to cass as a gift.
Cass changed a lyric and gave it the title Venom's In. So he has a writing credit on the song.”
Re: SINISTER GRIFT
Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2025 9:16 am
by jusswerjk
I listened to it for the first time this morning while driving around LA at 7am with the sunrise. It was life changing. I can't wait to dig into this over the next few months. Thanks so much to Josh and Noah and everyone else involved. I'm so excited to see what this record does.
Re: SINISTER GRIFT
Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2025 11:11 am
by Deakin
Alcohol wrote:
Great interview with Josh and Noah. Most interesting moment was Noah's "ahem," the one that confirmed how frustrated he (and Josh, seemingly) is with recording Animal Collective. Can't help but assume Dave is the obvious variable...
Don’t even start that. Making records as Animal Collective is one of the greatest joys of my life. I’d do it in a heartbeat any day of the week. The process is much different and what I was talking about had do with the way the situations feel different. I’d say the same thing about working on eucalyptus vs CHz or time skiffs. Working with Dave is incredible and I love it. I think it’s much more about reducing the variables. Me working in service to someone else’s music, even if I have a hand in shaping sounds or suggesting arrangements or insisting/encouraging song choices or even adding my own parts to things…. It’s all in service to what feels good to Noah in this case. It has to do with a specific way that noah and I found ourselves working in the studio that felt warm and familiar, harkening back to our childhood. My comment was not in any way meant as a dig at AC process and definitely not at Dave. It’s just often, not always, a more complex environment.
Glad to see most everyone is feeling the record.
Re: SINISTER GRIFT
Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2025 12:09 pm
by muark
Beautifully put... At the end of the day you're all artists working together for 20+ years with deep, considered relationships still putting in the attention and effort to Make Magic. Absolutely no reason to cast doubt on that or even discuss, it's none of our business. Fantastic job on the album btw dude... u deserve all the Praise (pun intended).
Re: SINISTER GRIFT
Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2025 1:01 pm
by Alex Kintner
Yeh..amazing job. Album sounds sublime. Really clear, crisp 1980s punch, but with this warm and bouncy 1960s sound. Thanks so much
Re: SINISTER GRIFT
Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2025 1:13 pm
by tdegenaro
Deakin wrote:
Making records as Animal Collective is one of the greatest joys of my life. I’d do it in a heartbeat any day of the week. The process is much different and what I was talking about had do with the way the situations feel different. ...
My comment was not in any way meant as a dig at AC process and definitely not at Dave. It’s just often, not always, a more complex environment.
Glad to see most everyone is feeling the record.
don't even want to give gas to the implication being addressed here, thank you deakin for definitively dispelling what would have been an annoying and inaccurate speculation. love you guys, love what you do, love how thoughtfully you approach and create your art. we are all so, so lucky for it.
Re: SINISTER GRIFT
Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2025 3:51 pm
by FAF
josh, i can't say enough about how incredible this album sounds!
Re: SINISTER GRIFT
Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2025 3:54 pm
by denjanenna
Praise should’ve been the vinyl only b-side to Defense and Virginia Tech should’ve opened the record. I’ve been skipping Praise and starting with ABH
Re: SINISTER GRIFT
Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2025 3:57 pm
by Alcohol
Deakin wrote:
Alcohol wrote:
Great interview with Josh and Noah. Most interesting moment was Noah's "ahem," the one that confirmed how frustrated he (and Josh, seemingly) is with recording Animal Collective. Can't help but assume Dave is the obvious variable...
Don’t even start that. Making records as Animal Collective is one of the greatest joys of my life. I’d do it in a heartbeat any day of the week. The process is much different and what I was talking about had do with the way the situations feel different. I’d say the same thing about working on eucalyptus vs CHz or time skiffs. Working with Dave is incredible and I love it. I think it’s much more about reducing the variables. Me working in service to someone else’s music, even if I have a hand in shaping sounds or suggesting arrangements or insisting/encouraging song choices or even adding my own parts to things…. It’s all in service to what feels good to Noah in this case. It has to do with a specific way that noah and I found ourselves working in the studio that felt warm and familiar, harkening back to our childhood. My comment was not in any way meant as a dig at AC process and definitely not at Dave. It’s just often, not always, a more complex environment.
Glad to see most everyone is feeling the record.
Sorry, Josh (and Dave).
Re: SINISTER GRIFT
Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2025 4:10 pm
by Slippi's Applesauce
denjanenna wrote:
Praise should’ve been the vinyl only b-side to Defense and Virginia Tech should’ve opened the record. I’ve been skipping Praise and starting with ABH
Whaat no way praise is a career highlight imo and the saddest lyrics on the record
Re: SINISTER GRIFT
Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2025 4:34 pm
by tdegenaro
idk if folks are interested but i started a substack / podcast combo this year and did a knee-jerk reaction episode to sinister grift, give it a check out if ya like, more writing on anco coming soon(ish)
Praise should’ve been the vinyl only b-side to Defense and Virginia Tech should’ve opened the record. I’ve been skipping Praise and starting with ABH
Whaat no way praise is a career highlight imo and the saddest lyrics on the record
I’m sure the lyrics are great, but I can’t get behind the cutesy ditty bop British Invasion sound to the music.. not my jam
Re: SINISTER GRIFT
Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2025 5:32 pm
by Benji
Received my copy on Thursday and have been playing it non-stop since
I love that all of anco are artists where their most recent stuff is usually my favourite
'Venom's In', 'Left in the cold', and 'Elegy for Noah Lou' keep blowing me away and Defense fits so well after them
I did miss the delay on 'Just As Well' at first but the rest of it is so nice that I get forget it was ever there
Re: SINISTER GRIFT
Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2025 5:48 pm
by dio
Maaaaaaaaan. Deak, dude. Duuuuuuude.
I feel like statistically shouldn't be my favorite panda bear record. Like who makes their best work in their 40s or whatever. They do I guess...
It's such a dreamy record, but in not a remotely similar way to the dreamy quality of PP/TB. This is like what I want guitar-based pop to sound like. I can't really think of anything better unless maybe like 3-4 of the songs had an extended outro where he just turns up chorus/'verb and just spaces out. That is literally the only think preventing this from being the pop record of my dreams, but like sorta do get that on Cold/SoE. Song of Death??? Is that was Deak was calling it on that interview?
I love this record. It feels similar quality to Skiffs/IIN (and 7s..) but is more surprising and fresh cuz I only remembered a few of the Madrid songs and hadn't abused that boot. I dipped into new boots approx like 3x in past month and knew I thought Praise and 50mg owned but ya, like no demo-itis is what I'm trying to say and its very nice.
I listened to Buoys and Reset and Reaper recently... Buoys feels like my fave of those over Reaper slightly and Reset is kind of just a curio to me now. But yeah Danger and the fact that he plays Praise>>> Buoys kinda connects this album to those 2.
Anyway
1. pp
2. tb
3. SG!!!!
4. buoys VERY slightly above..
5. reaper/eps
6. homies
7. reset/reset in dub/mariachi
fucking neeed that new geo hurdy gurdy/downtempo album
Re: SINISTER GRIFT
Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2025 7:53 pm
by r_o_s_s
Hmmm I wonder what the film Elegy for Noah Lou was written for?? Maybe the Jesse Eisenberg one - When You Finish Saving the World??
Haven’t had a chance to listen to the record yet - gonna indulge tomorrow. Hearing everyone’s thoughts and reading all the reviews and interviews has gotten me even more excited. Really think this one is gonna hit me really really hard.
Re: SINISTER GRIFT
Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2025 8:13 pm
by meys
just got my LP and shirt. SO hype on this record, it’s exactly what i needed. thank you Noah thank you Josh thank you band
Re: SINISTER GRIFT
Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2025 8:42 pm
by preakness
Hellomark wrote:
Probably have the most demoitis from 50mg, it just sounds a little too gentle here. Also I miss the guitar playing the chords a few times before the bass and drums came in. But as far as demoitis goes, this is a minor case. It's still one of the best from a melodic and lyrical standpoint imo.
Same, but I still love what ended up on the record. Definitely a great one. The live version packs a bit more of a punch, and the guitar intro is definitely great.
