[Stan]

scrambledgreggs wrote:

it was an attempt at a particular aesthetic that they achieved with flying colors

I totally agree with this. It's like Le Gavroche released a brand of instant noodles. It's top tier for what it is.

[wilandhugs]

Stan wrote:

scrambledgreggs wrote:

it was an attempt at a particular aesthetic that they achieved with flying colors

I totally agree with this. It's like Le Gavroche released a brand of instant noodles. It's top tier for what it is.

Obviously disagree, but nice one lol.

[floats]

Listening through The Painters now. Even as a fan of PW, I didn't really give this EP much attention after it came out. It's honestly got so many great AC ingredients. A lot of experimenting w/ vocal delivery from Avey, Peacemaker is a solid take from this era for Panda, Goalkeeper's chorus is as catchy as it gets.

Honestly feel like it could have been a move to have Peacemaker/Goalkeeper replace Natural Selection/Summing the Wretch. Would need to re-order the tracklist a bit in that case but Peacemaker could a be a nice moment to catch your breath in the PW journey.

[scrambledgreggs]

Stan wrote:

scrambledgreggs wrote:

it was an attempt at a particular aesthetic that they achieved with flying colors

I totally agree with this. It's like Le Gavroche released a brand of instant noodles. It's top tier for what it is.

not sure if you were being facetious but I think this is a great analogy

[captainlunatic]

i've been getting some mileage out of eucalyptus as a sleep aid lately. i'm usually knocked out by track 3. really mellow, feelgood stuff

[Stan]

scrambledgreggs wrote:

Stan wrote:

scrambledgreggs wrote:

it was an attempt at a particular aesthetic that they achieved with flying colors

I totally agree with this. It's like Le Gavroche released a brand of instant noodles. It's top tier for what it is.

not sure if you were being facetious but I think this is a great analogy

Not at all, that's my opinion.

[foxtrot]

I’m on a holiday right now out in the beautiful Hunter Valley in Australia. Staying in this great little 60s cabin in the bush overlooking the valley. I’m barbecuing while soaking up the stunning views of rolling hills and the alpacas grazing nearby and I’m listening to Eucalyptus and loving every moment.

Thanks for being awesome CA. I bloody love Eucalyptus. More thoughts soon. Just wanting to take a sec to appreciate the good things.

[Allatrobles]

foxtrot wrote:

I’m on a holiday right now out in the beautiful Hunter Valley in Australia. Staying in this great little 60s cabin in the bush overlooking the valley. I’m barbecuing while soaking up the stunning views of rolling hills and the alpacas grazing nearby and I’m listening to Eucalyptus and loving every moment.

Thanks for being awesome CA. I bloody love Eucalyptus. More thoughts soon. Just wanting to take a sec to appreciate the good things.

That's nice.

[captainlunatic]

listening to the painters now

kinda bonkers is a banger

would've been really interesting to hear it on painting with as like a side a closer

peacemaker is pretty and has a different atmosphere than any of the other panda songs from this era... much more subdued than anything on painting with

i like goalkeeper but don't love it... it's very cluttered sounding, which was no doubt intentional but still. did they ever play this one live? would be interesting to hear it expanded a bit and given more room to breathe. cool outro though!

everyone was talking up jimmy mack when this ep came out, but i thought it was super lame, haha. i think that a lot less now. it's cute and catchy and well constructed. not the highlight for me (that would be kinda bonkers) but definitely single-worthy. avey's "WOO!" near the end makes me feel like i'm in some psychedelic workout video getting amped up by the instructor. lots of positive energy. it's good, folks

[curleyswirley]

I was at the O2 Ritz Manchester show that they released and it was phenomenal, best gig ever

[Slippi's Applesauce]

Painting With: still enjoy this album. Nice for a quick listen. My opinions definitely haven't changed on it in the last six years, still love Golden Gal, Floridada, and the Burglars. Summing the Wretch wasn't even as bad as I remembered. Just wish it sounded a bit less sterile and lively, imagine the LITG outro with the live energy.
The Painters: Peacemaker has grown on me considerably since this came out. Love the vibe Panda brought with this song and his deep, broody vocals. Could have brought a bit of variety to PW had it been included. Goalkeeper has grown off me a little, but I still think it's underrated. Other tracks are great.
Gnip Gnop/Hounds of Bairro: I can't stand Gnip Gnop. Might be my least favorite AC song ever. On the other side, Hounds of Bairro might be my absolute favorite Panda song from this era. Definitely a golden melody, but suffers from the same kinda sterile issue that PW has.

[scrambledgreggs]

Crazy to think that Avey had both Eucalyptus and MotW songs cooking around the same time period as Painting With. Two polar opposite ends of the band’s spectrum

I have a soft spot for MotW but mostly because it sounds like an extension of Pullhair Rubeye which I have an even softer spot for. I never thought I would hear more of that tender folk-lullaby sound from Avey and yet there it was. “Blue noses” should get more love around here, it’s so epic but also delicate and also has those extremely emotive “ehhhhhhhhhhs” from Avey that so much of recent AC has been lacking. “Amazonawana” is also a fairly unique song in their discog, almost a precursor to Sux Bier. I get some ODDSAC vibes from the sounds used on the EP as well as from its cover art

[foxtrot]

Want to get around to replying to people’s awesome write ups but I’m away atm so it’s hard. Also a pain in the ass to do on my phone!

Eucalyptus:

So much more than a Sung Tongs rehash. Avey seems to find all kinds of new places to explore here. Where previous acoustic albums Campfire Songs and Sung Tongs respectively immersed themselves in a very specific environment and romped giddy through autumnal, wooded fantasias, Eucalyptus manages to inhabit a wide variety of environments. Overall, the atmosphere is much more deliberately ‘environmental’ I think. Avey also includes much more variety. More electronic elements, more samples and field recordings, more unusual cut and paste instrumental pieces, more instruments thrown into the mix, wider range of voices, more stylistic range etc.

The first three tracks are all top tier. Season High is a brilliant summary of the album’s strengths. All the key elements are there. Acoustic guitars, unusual structures, all kinds of fascinating additions to the arrangement floating in and out. The harp stuff and Angel’s contributions really elevate things to a whole new level. Such a well written song too. Lots of melody yet lots of moving parts. A fantastic track. This one evokes the stillness after the rain has passed for me.

Melody Unfair. Classic melting feeling in the delivery of this one. Just like Daffy Duck. Love the way it constantly feels like it’s falling apart then gently rebuilding then falling apart again. Like a compilation of beautiful sighs. A babbling stream. It’s so lithe and graceful. Again, I think the way Dave and Angel intertwine here is stunning.

Ms Secret is in the perfect spot. It picks up the pace a bit but starting the record with two slower tracks is really important for setting the mood. This one has one of the strongest melodies. How good are slide guitars in an Avey Tare song?! And what about those little flute trills?! And the ‘she told you’ part is classic af. Love this one. It makes me imagine the sun rising over big open plains with wild horses running free. The effect during the outro is super Sung Tongs.

Lunch 1 & 2 are such rad little anomalies in the AC catalogue. They’re almost like ODDSAC shot as a children’s Western or something. Really fun. Lots of great little snippets that I always enjoy hearing. Really dig the melody in Part 2 as well.

Jackson 5 is a great example of Eucalyptus’ variety. That beat comes out of nowhere the first time. In the context of an album like this it is basically a banger. This track is lots of fun. The chorus is super infectious. More cool use of slide guitar. Feels like dancing at an old saloon or something.

DR aw one for J is more of an interlude/scene setter than anything else. Does a nice job but nothing special here. It does do well to maintain the Country and Western vibe of the last few tracks, sounding like a slowed down/warped old country tune.

PJ is super weird in the best way. It really distinguishes itself for that reason. Avey’s delivery is so bizarre in this song. It sort of feels like sinking slowly in quicksand. The layers of guitar are great and provide something familiar to hold onto while Avey freaks you out with his vocal performance. Even the wordless bridge section is so fascinatingly weird. I love it.

In Pieces might be my favourite on the album. Such a beautifully written song with a gorgeous melody. A sense of quiet mourning. In someone else’s hands this would come out too pretty. In Avey’s hands it is still bent just enough out of shape to maintain a certain awkward beauty. I love the modular synth stuff in the background. And the bass hits and rattling percussion in the chorus.

Selection Of A Place. Though I think the ambience of the MoTW version is amazing, the quicker pace in the second part of this version really elevates the beauty of that melody for me. Great song in both contexts. This version makes me think of waking up in an old house.

Boat Race obviously evokes being on the water but it’s rocking and slightly nauseating. There is something menacing floating around under the boat. I love the spacey, squelchy textures throughout. That otter is a monster right?

Roamer is a solid, bouncy little tune. One those tossed of Avey songs that seems so effortless yet still so infectious. Particularly dig the cool little bass line in this one.

Coral Lords is a big favourite of mine. It’s a beautiful, elegiac piece that perfectly reflects the various environments it speaks about. Drought stricken plains, climate change and dying coral reefs. The subtle horns are such a gorgeous touch. Love the vocals behind the speech at the start. The ‘I pray deep like Buddha’ line just melts me every time. The intense/strained vocals at the end are a classic AC moment too.

Sports In July is one of those wonderful Avey songs that seems to have no time signature or conceivable rhythm in its first half. Just feel. Love the random percussion highlighting various parts. The second half has the awesome interplay between him and Angel again.

The first section of When You Left Me is so sweet and simple. It reminds me of his stuff with Kria. The second section is really powerful. And the final section sends things out with a glorious yet understated closing passage. Love this whole ‘Wanna know how this flower became this flower?’ bit.

We all agree this is a fucking great album right?

[coral lord]

^^^ Absofuckinglutely it is

I haven't been participating in the discussion so much but I've really enjoyed reading everyone's thoughts and I've been listening along on my own. Felt the need to talk about some of these tracks though.

Eucalyptus is such a special album, feels unlike anything they've made before. The way Avey creates cohesion on his solo records makes them experiences you need to take in as a whole.

Season High would be easily the best opener for any of their solo albums if Avey didn't also have Laughing Hieroglyphic and What's the Goodside on the same level.

Ms Secret is such a cool folk pop song, his vocal performance is kinda country/bluegrass or something? The double vocals that he does for most of the song creates some really cool moments like the high harmony in "gotta stay up MAN", and that autoharp near the end is just so soothing.

The only word I can use to describe Coral Lords is massive. It almost needs to be listened to with headphones in a dark room so you can fully take in everything that's happening. The production is insane, Josh did such a great job.
"Just like continuous breathing
Very sweet sleep not a violent night
Yeah but how fast she can change and swell
Yeah she's so heavy she's a lover
And I sure hope she'll last my life
Lost in the rumbling of the foaming curl"
are you kidding, this is absolutely gorgeous writing. find someone who looks at you the way avey looks at coral.

this album is so personal and performed with such emotion that we've only really heard from him on Laughing Hieroglyphic (solo wise). it's like sitting in on his meditation. absolutely love it.

[foxtrot]

Loving the idea of it feeling like sitting in on his meditation. Totally relate to that. I think Cows is equally amazing but totally agree with your thoughts here.

Can’t believe we’re almost at Week 9. This has flown by. And the amazing albums just keep on coming. I think the final week is actually the only one that doesn’t contain an album that I truly love. Pretty mind blowing track record really.

[bullseye]

Eucalyptus:
There isn't too much I can add to what's already been said in the posts above, as I pretty much feel exactly the same way. I'm just really impressed at how easy and natural avey makes songs with less of a traditional rhythm or structure ebb and flow. Similarly, the acoustic guitar approach merged with how he integrates the mangled samples, presumably from the octatrack, just feels really natural and gives the whole album a vibe that is both grounded and out there, but also very hard to describe.
Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but Eucalyptus is the longest LP from the whole AC-related discography, right? It is chunky, but it doesn't feel too long. With this in mind, I think it would still be an incredible record, even if one third of the songs were removed.

[foxtrot]

I think it’s length works to its advantage actually. The sprawling nature of it helps give it some of its sense of ease and looseness. Love how casual yet engaging it all is. Emotionally potent but never asserts itself upon you.

[blindmowing]

Eucalyptus – like every AC release, these guys are so good at bottling up an essence/vibration and channeling it in 10-15 different ways…thematically and atmospherically, just total cohesion. Almost like method actors, they seem to be able to immerse themselves in sonic worlds so deeply that they can’t help but become the spirit of the music they are trying to create. Question: what would be the least cohesive release in the AC catalog? Anyway, what a transportive, immersive album. Boggy and murky, not as DOWN THERE as Down There, but still below the surface of the muddy water… all of Avey’s solo works post-Pullhair feel like nighttime records. They’re dark and spooky, even if just subtly. I guess we should’ve seen a possible Sung Tongs tour coming given Avey had an acoustic guitar + subtle electronics phase in the late 2010s. this is a slow dance with an old cowboy ghost.

Painting With – gotta thank AC for bringing me back to my child spirit with this album. This album made me take a more playful approach to art and writing again. Had such a good time relistening to this album the past week. It’s missing the dynamic element, more variation, to make it a top tier AC album. But that was intentional. A Ramones album isn’t about variety. It’s about speed and sugar and energy and immediacy. AC pull off the concept – I just wish the concept was a bit more fleshy and dynamic. sometimes I wish the full title was Painting With Animal Collective, as derivative as that is. OR… in a world where commercialization wasn’t important, their 2007 album would’ve been released by Strawberry Band and this 2016 album would’ve been released by The Painters. Probably just the self-titled debut of the Painters. Expectations are funky. Had this just been by some unknown band named the Painters, I probably wouldn’t have come up with the critique that this lacks variety…but knowing what they’re capable of within the confines of one album – the amount of sonic territory I expect them to cover – it does come off as lacking. Just goes to show the standard they’ve set.

[madameghostly]

oops i spent all week trying to put my Painting With thoughts into words

Painting With: i get it, y'know? i also used to not think much of this album. i believed the anti-hype. i trusted fans and haters alike when they said this album wasn't worth my time, but if there's one thing i've learned doing this retrospective, it's that i can't let numbers on my computer screen decide what i do or don't listen to, i need to decide for myself and take more risks. man, these guys should really write a song about that. maybe even multiple!

my opinion of this album is that it's definitely not their best, but it's also definitely not their worst, and it's certainly better than a lot of people give it credit for. it's homogenous at times, sure, but i'd never say it's boring. the aesthetic's great, the textures are great, hell i've even come to love hocketing! i almost wish we could have heard a sound like this on something more ambitious than "no BS, get in, get out material", though, on that note, i'm glad they decided to make that their goal for this album, because it works

obvious highlights are FloriDada (the bridge makes me so happy), On Delay, and Golden Gal (i still can't believe Betty White's gone, man ), but there's not really any songs on here i hate. no, i wouldn't quite describe the feelings i have towards Spilling Guts or Summing the Wretch as "hate"

Gnip Gnop / Hounds of Bairro: one of these songs could have and perhaps should have been on PW and the other one is fine i guess. also until recently i didn't know gnip gnop was an actual game, i thought the guys named a song ping pong but backwards just to be quirky and silly

The Painters: as far as AC EPs go, this one's good. as a whole, i might even like it a tiny bit more than the album it's a companion to, what with it being ever so slightly more consistent yet diverse, but don't quote me on that. Kinda Bonkers is good, Peacemaker is the best song of the PW era don't @ me, Goalkeeper is good too, and Jimmy Mack is fine, but... wait, i just realized i've never heard the original

BONUS
Jimmy Mack: yeah. yeah the original's better. sorry Avey

BONUS BONUS
Michael, Remember / Danny's Jam: two sides of AC jamming in the studio in mid-2015! not bad for what it is but i can't see myself revisiting it very often. for what it’s worth i think i like Michael, Remember more

BONUS BONUS BONUS
Mountain Game: don't get me wrong, this song is lovely, from the Sung Tong-y intro to the meat of the song which i can't quite put my finger on what it sounds like, but did they really think it would've fit in Red Dead Redemption?

Meeting of the Waters: i'm still shocked that this EP wasn't the Animal Collective fandom's collective (heh) "Animal Collective are good again" moment! i mean, we have an excellent opener for the circumstances in the post-folk monolith that is Blue Noses; Man of Oil is, dare i say, an s-tier AC song (Spotify may make a lot of questionable decisions, but i can't say their decision to make this song randomly blow up for no reason was a bad one); Amazonawana / Anaconda Opportunity is... well, it's tolerable if you can ignore that bird call or whatever the hell that one noise is, if anyone knows what i'm talking about; and Selection of A Place (Rio Negro Version) is a really nice version of... a song from Eucalyptus which i haven't heard yet. so sue me. but yeah it's a good EP

anyway time to cram some Eucalyptus in my ears and try to form some coherent thoughts afterwards. if it's anything like MotW, which i'm assuming it is, i think i'm gonna like it a lot

[Stan]

Interesting observation about MOTW reception because it actually was a bit of a revelatory moment to hear acoustic guitar and an older Sung Tongs era delivery and sound. Defo represented a shift which ultimately led to Skiffs.

[roopn]

love your takes madameghostly!

This era I feel I have very little to say about. Recency perhaps? Painting With has plenty of wonderful moments, but I can't help but agree with stan for the most part on this one. Though it can be a thrilling listen, I find it lacks the depth that makes their usual album efforts great. The fully synthesised sound palate leaves very little mystery to me in the listening experience, which I value a lot. Unravelling the incredibly tight vocals is a lot of fun though!
Am I the only one to not particularly like golden gal? would've worked better on slasher flicks

Motw: It's good?

Eucalyptus, now this is a real classic. This is the true moment of upturn in 2010s AC, if you were ever worried they'd lost 'it'. Like bullseye said it's the longest album in the canon (especially compared to Down There) which for me means the middle section does sag a little, but that's down to the strength of the extraordinary front and back end rather than any lacking in the tracks in between. If you really really wanted to trim this down to a single LP length, I'd lose the Lunches, jakson 5, pieces, boat race, roamer. But I wouldn't be glad about it.
PJ is one of my all time favourite avey tracks, I just love the croaky whispering vocal delivery, and the belted out live version is awesome too. Fantastic lyrics, love that's it's a short story avey wrote and put to music, that guy is just freebirding creativity.
are PJ and Prester John the same character?

[foxtrot]

Blindmowing: you’re spot on. They’re so incredibly good at completely inhabiting the atmosphere/mood of an album. I really am still an album listener so adore this aspect of the band.

Least cohesive AC album is probably SJ actually. Not that it’s a problem at all on that record.

Kinda have to agree about Painting With. As much as I enjoy it.

Madame: I think The Painters is by far their weakest EP. Didn’t even get around to writing about it this last week. I think the b-sides from this era really highlight the fact that the songs had almost no time to evolve like usual. There isn’t quite the same depth there.

Agree with Stan that it was actually really surprising and lovingly received when MoTW brought back the acoustic guitar I like the idea that this might also have been the first step in the pathway towards Skiffs.

Roopn: awesome to see someone who is as fascinated by PJ as me. Interesting idea that it might be Prester!

[foxtrot]

I know a bunch of us are currently losing the plot over SWE but it’s time for:

WEEK 9: Jan 21 – Jan 27
Tangerine, Cows, Conference of Birds, Live in the Land of the Sky, Music Box

We’re so close to TS now.

This is a killer week though. Really excited about digging into all of these releases.

[coral lord]

foxtrot wrote:

Least cohesive AC album is probably SJ actually. Not that it’s a problem at all on that record.

that's my pick as well. PBVGR at #2 prob

[blindmowing]

never heard all of Live in the Land of the Sky

guess i'm not a true head

shucks

[foxtrot]

Ha! It’s the Geo live EP thing. I’ve never actually heard it so have been looking forward to this week for a while.

[Slippi's Applesauce]

Eucalyptus scratches a "chill but enveloping" listen itch for me. Glad we have it. It's shard to pick standout tracks, since it's really something to listen to all the way through, but I'm especially down with Season High, Ms Secret, Lunch Out of Orders, In Pieces, When You Left Me. Was really surprised by all of the extra huge soundplay going on throughout it, had never noticed it before.

As someone who studies ecology and has been obsessed with the rainforests for all my life, I love Meeting of the Waters. I especially love the little documentary they did! Both of these releases are special

[madameghostly]

hey, it's still thursday somewhere

i will add to my thoughts on PW and say i think a lot of PW material is better live, or maybe i'm just a sucker for good transitions between songs (again, huge CHz defender here)

Eucalyptus: when Avey gets personal, you know it's gonna be a good time. Sung Tongy, yes, but still very much doing its own thing. very good way to spend an hour - which, i agree, is the perfect length for this album - and i look forward to doing so many more times when i get the chance. i think my favorite track is Ms. Secret, but honestly, once i listen to this album more than twice, that could very well change

also am i crazy or does PJ sound vaguely similar to (When You Wake) You're Still in a Dream

now that that's out of the way, time to start the penultimate week. we're so close to Skiffs i can almost taste it. also, everything from here on out (except Bridge to Quiet) is new to me so uhhh that's as daunting as it is exciting! i'll be fine

on that note, i still haven't decided whether or not i should watch Tangerine Reef instead of just listening to it. i'm leaning towards just listen because, like, they released it on streaming platforms for a reason, but my mind could be changed

[blindmowing]

i admit i would've listened to Meeting of the Waters a lot more had i liked the cover. yes, i'm that person. gave it a spin this morning. very intimate. "Blue Noses" was a highlight, other than "Man of Oil" which is regarded as the classic of this era. wonder if we'll ever get a live version?

[bullseye]

madameghostly wrote:

on that note, i still haven't decided whether or not i should watch Tangerine Reef instead of just listening to it. i'm leaning towards just listen because, like, they released it on streaming platforms for a reason, but my mind could be changed

I'd recommend to watch it, at least for your first listening experience. The visuals are stunning in my opinion and fit the mood of the different sections pretty well. For tangerine reef, the audio and video create kind of another "world" together, much more so than on oddsac, I think.

[scrambledgreggs]

^ agreed, the album definitely stands on its own without the visuals but the visuals are also really beautiful and fit well with the music. Doesn’t have to be on your first listen but I’d recommend watching at some point

[Dusty]

These were the first releases that I was actually a fan during the time of their album rollouts so I’ll chime in on these.

Tangerine Reef is one of my most listened to ac projects, somehow. I don’t have a lot of emotional attachment to it but it creates a great sonic world to habitate for a while. My fav tracks are Airpipe, Palythoa, Coral Understanding, Buxom and Jake and Me. I’ve never seen the movie in full, the visuals can’t hold my attention unfortunately.

Cows dropped the day I had a flight from New Orleans to Boston and I think I listened to it 10 times on repeat. KC Yours still blows me away

[roopn]

blindmowing wrote:

i admit i would've listened to Meeting of the Waters a lot more had i liked the cover. yes, i'm that person. gave it a spin this morning. very intimate. "Blue Noses" was a highlight, other than "Man of Oil" which is regarded as the classic of this era. wonder if we'll ever get a live version?

Oh my God yes. I take back what I said about the slasher flicks art. motw is much, much worse.
Also, avey did man of oil on his 2017 tour!

E: I realise now you meant live version of blue noses. That would be awesome

[captainlunatic]

aww, i like the meeting of the waters cover

[scrambledgreggs]

I like the motw cover too, it looks like it could be a scene from oddsac

[hunkswithguns]

i prefer 'motw' cover to 'bridge' cover by FAR

[Jam]

I’ve been pretty burnt out the past several months so I feel bad I haven’t been able to contribute too much in the way of thoughtful reflection here, but I have really appreciated this thread and all of the wonderful thoughts shared. Huge shoutout to Foxtrot for their hard work!

Adding a shout this week for Tipped in Hugs / Dog Says Goodbye, which are both wonderful tracks but I can understand their omission from Cows. Tipped in Hugs sounds like a possible leftover from Eucalyptus but I’m glad it got the treatment that it did. The spacey piano on Dog Says Goodbye sounds like a restrained Vince Guaraldi fogscape (which fits the lyrics perfectly). A little Seal Eyeing? Talked myself into wanting them on Cows. Or any streaming service other than Bandcamp (don’t worry, I paid). That would be nice.

[Hellomark]

Agree about Tipped in Hugs, so much to love about that song. Dog Says Goodbye always felt kind of forgettable to me though, I should probably revisit it.
The whole Cows/Birds era of Aveys music is a weird one to me, maybe some of the most intense demoitis I've had with any AC stuff. The only song that I feel improved from the live versions is What's the Goodside, which is easily one of the best Avey solo tunes. Nothing else on the album really matches the feeling of that song imo, even though there are a few other very good moments here and there.
I remember feeling the same way about Laughing Hieroglyphic when I first heard Down There, but the rest of the songs quickly grew on me and I came to appreciate the entire album. Cows hasn't had the same journey unfortunately. I will say the sound of the album is very interesting as a snapshot of where Aveys songwriting has been recently, the sort of laidback nature of it definitely foreshadows the Time Skiffs stuff.

[bullseye]

Cows on Hourglass Pond:
I completely agree with you on the demoitis regarding Cows, Hellomark. It's weird, the album turned out fine and it's still an enjoyable listen, but I do wish it were more like the Mothlight show. Actually, I wouldn't be mad if Cows tracklist were exactly the set of songs from the Mothlight show. Speaking of which, its great that avey released such a fine recording of the show on bandcamp. Listening back to these high energy versions of Sew Happy and Taken Boy, its a kind of a shame that these songs were toned down so much on Cows. It could easily have been heavy on the dance beats and would have shined with the production approach found on Homies or Buoys. Also, Betty needs a Doctor slaps. I can see that it wasn't further developed, seeing how all the other songs were molded into something different. That's maybe why the studio version of Uncle Donut sticks out as a very weird song to me. It stayed relatively true to the mood of the live version, but sounds unlike any other studio recording from this era, the closest thing is maybe Enjoy the Change.
I do also agree on What's the Goodside, best song of the bunch, Eyes on eyes takes the silver. Remember Mayan feels a bit lukewarm to me. That pumping kickdrum doesn't really complement the song, it is rather distracting from an otherwise pretty chill track. I prefer the live version with deak and jeremy and the fuzzy bass guitar.

[dio]

Really seems like Homies would be in this set, I remember putting it on after night 2 of the Music Box shows after the show. It's getting wrong era'd like PP did >,>

This era is sick though. Listened to a lot of this yesterday, including the p4k recording of a Sung Tong show and it seems like this is the era where they officially got good at wearing all their hats at virtually the same time.

Coming off PW and they chose to do something like TR that is almost the polar opposite. Coming off MotW to just completely and literally homage-ing the ST style that MotW is in the lineage of (sort of, but w/ geo instead of panda). Leaning into TR and Music Box which are lower-key projects by design and doesn't require Noah.

Panda meanwhile is working on 2 sets of music at once and releasing them differently (Homes/Buoys)

this feels like pay-off for liking AC so long, suddenly in a single year's time you might have seen up to 4 different live versions of them (PW w/ Jeremy raves, ST throwback shows, TR experimental visual-album shows AND/OR the Music Box sets) each in a totally different "mode" not to mention the solo stuff 3 of them were doing around then (all but Deakin I guess)

good times.... TR specifically has grown a lot on me. Been listening a lot in the past month because it still felt like a blindspot for me. When watched with the gorgeous visuals it does hit harder and makes me think its meant to be watched, but the songs do stand on their own despite this and despite Avey's chilled out sounds-like-he's-sitting-down vocal delivery. I like the un-showy approach. It is sci-fi/dystopia style music at its best and the synth work and all the glrious geo-ness is really something. One of their darker albums too, in a variety of ways, and they seem in a similar place as Danse/ark type era and yet it doesn't sound much like those era's either. It's own weird thing, with a very specific tone.

Cows I have the benefit of never hearing the Mothlight. And yet I still have a little demitis on Mayan. He slightly changed the chorus melody and general vibe is pretty different. This is Avey's version of Greaper mass demoitis but I MOSTLY don't have it.

Good stuff here, it seems like he's basically writing stuff in the vein of Slasher material but with pretty clean production and its a little more serious, though not quite Eucalyptus style serious maybe. Its a great zone to hear Dave in.

Conference is our first Dave EP ever and while it doesn't fascinate me like Homies did/does, it is definitely a gr8 bonus to Ponds in the way most of their era-specific EPs are. And just different from Pond enough to validate itself.

Sorry Geo, I'm an asshole and didn't check your tape yet. When I saw solo Panda in Austin around then I either missed you/didn't see merch table or else you didn't play?? can't remember

Music Box I might be out of words about now. Lucky enough to see both shows that weekend cuz I lived in Nola at the time. First show was a mostly bad experience cuz I took a bad amount of acid and fixated on crowd being I THINK too loud (maybe they were normal and I was tripping?). 2nd night was glorious though and I wouldn't have gone again if I hadn't not felt right about first night.

Anyway, glad half of that set has been released and the tracks then were the beginning of the current era, even if it means its a 4 year era soon

Also their ST shows were great and really impressive and somehow seemed appropriate even tho I know they AND we at some point didnt think they'd do anything like this.

Also Homies vinyl owns, Sunset and Sheperds Tone are so crazy good to me. And the Buoys live shows from around then rock too.

bottom line: SUCH a diverse time for the band.