Collected Animals

I actually really like the ending to Passer By. To me, it has a cool Abbey Road type energy.

I like ending of Passerby too. I was so thrown by the "ty passerby" ending initially but, yeah I kinda like it. Someone said its similar to ending of Burglars. Avey likes writing songs about a very specific thing...

"point at a hummingbird (eeeeee!)"

Reminds me of the ending of Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker.

Also We Go Back Avey vox reminds me a lot of John Maus.

noah coming in on background vocals during cherokee when dave sings the word "appreciate" right after walker

noah coming in on background vocals during cherokee when dave sings the word "appreciate" right after walker

That's the Deak :/

captainlunatic wrote:

noah coming in on background vocals during cherokee when dave sings the word "appreciate" right after walker

That's the Deak :/

Well there goes my headcanon

I've cried so much to this album in the last week

I never thought they would top Merriweather, but not only did they do that, they did it while physically separated. Incredible.

I really love all the guitar work on this album. So clean but perfect and playful. Strung, Cherokee and Royal's in particular

Can't pick one but...

Avey's delivery on "infinite blasts of light" in the chorus of DS.

The way there's this sort of tease to a bridge, or some sort of pre-chorus, that doesn't come back again in CK (with a ringer in the hand / and one stuck up in a bush).

The drop from section 1 to section 2 of PJ. Since hearing they joined the two songs together by playing them one after the other, I almost imagine them as two songs and thinking how hyped I'd get seeing that as a transition-less transition live.

When the jam at the start of Strung starts to take form and then kicks into the intro/first verse. Also i would NOT BE AFRAID.

eeeEEE

That tiny bit of autotuned vocal that starts a split second before the main vocals in WGB

The way there's this sort of tease to a bridge, or some sort of pre-chorus, that doesn't come back again in CK (with a ringer in the hand / and one stuck up in a bush).

I REALLY wish this bit repeated!

tay's tee games wrote:

The way there's this sort of tease to a bridge, or some sort of pre-chorus, that doesn't come back again in CK (with a ringer in the hand / and one stuck up in a bush).

I REALLY wish this bit repeated!

Yeah all part of the magic this isn't it, classic bit of really considered songwriting from Noah, he just fucking brings it on this album doesn't he. I think the first half of PJ is one of the best things he's done, the really world-weary climate change imagery, it's really moving.

tay's tee games wrote:

The way there's this sort of tease to a bridge, or some sort of pre-chorus, that doesn't come back again in CK (with a ringer in the hand / and one stuck up in a bush).

I REALLY wish this bit repeated!

Yes... I really wish the "how are we doin now" portion got one more section later on. I think it's cool too though that it's just once.. Makes it more special

Agreed that only getting one round of "how are we doing now" and one round of "with a ringer in the hand". Makes them even better, makes you want to play the song again and makes you appreciate Noah for such well thought out songwriting

new interview with josh & brian: https://last-donut-of-the-night.letterd ... the-future

new audio interview with josh: https://www.kexp.org/podcasts/sound-vis ... onnection/

love this album so fkn much. more favorite parts:

ON HOOOLY GROUUUND

hushed backing vocals during the verses of Cherokee (is that Deakin?)

echoed squawks after "I felt the burning sun" in Passer-by

I go BACK we go BACK (also "it's UP", basically the whole chorus of that song is flawless)

"sun shuts my eyes" harmonies on R&D

new interview with josh & brian: https://last-donut-of-the-night.letterd ... the-future

new audio interview with josh: https://www.kexp.org/podcasts/sound-vis ... onnection/

Nice both are great. We discussed this before the pandemic but I really hope they do a kexp set

I also love how deakin describes the first half of 2018 prester John/who knows/ the path that Dave let it slip away but he’s really hoping it comes back eventually

Also him getting choked up over the Cherokee lyrics felt very real. Touching stuff

'Worms' wrote:

new interview with josh & brian: https://last-donut-of-the-night.letterd ... the-future

new audio interview with josh: https://www.kexp.org/podcasts/sound-vis ... onnection/

Nice both are great. We discussed this before the pandemic but I really hope they do a kexp set

Ughgghgg seriously we've needed new radio sets since like, always. Some of their best live recordings are the BBC sets.

Those centipede hz acoustic radio session versions are so incredible

interview with panda bear:

https://www.clashmusic.com/features/we- ... collective

edit: includes an update on the sonic boom collab....

Sample-based AND rock n roll. Can't wait to hear this damn thing

for some reason based off that comment I'm expecting it to sound nothing like person pitch lol idk why. but I'm super stoked regardless

havent been posting as much on here lately but just want to say Time Skiffs is so beautiful and continues to get better with more listens. those last choruses of Strung are so fucking good -- so big and bombastic and contagiously joyous. I don't like to compare their albums/eras but that moment really hits some of the same joyful ecstatic emotional highs of e.g. Did You See the Words. love Dave's screams and Noah's drums and everything about it

speaking of which, what does that rhythm feel like to yall? I'm kind of hearing it as groups of 9 + 7, where the 9 is the big full band parts and the 7 is when Dave sings. if you add those counts together it makes 16 which should equal standard 4/4, but the way they place the strong beats it makes it feel like an odd time signature to me which I love. the weird stunted rhythm really adds to the energy of that moment and makes it hit even harder. curious how other people hear it tho

I think overall their creative decisions and restraint during several of these songs that some of you mention could’ve but didn’t get repeated was a great way to make them earworms and increases our desire to play over and over again

Those centipede hz acoustic radio session versions are so incredible

oh shit

I've all but given up on CHz as an album but I would rly like to hear these, where they at?
~~
nvmnd I found KEXP stuff
~~
fuckin sick

Also him getting choked up over the Cherokee lyrics felt very real. Touching stuff

Understandable, it's pretty much a guarantee that at least one line is going to make me range from tearing up to bursting out sobbing on any given listen

Sacrleligihous perhaps but SWE is a little too long for me to want to listen every time. I don't want that minute long intro, I would rather straight into the Hawaiian groove and (yep, sorry) trim the triumphant coda. Otherwise, there's not a duff or dull moment on this album.

On the other hand, I listened to Feels today and there's such a tremendously fidgety energy and sometimes overload of brilliant ideas but also - crucially - a confidence to do so very little. That made me realise what's kind of lacking from AC from the MPP onwards - there's perhaps too much vocals and focus on the song compared to their pre-SJ material. I miss AC just playing their instruments and shutting the fuck up.

Just some thoughts.

Sacrleligihous perhaps but SWE is a little too long for me to want to listen every time. I don't want that minute long intro, I would rather straight into the Hawaiian groove and (yep, sorry) trim the triumphant coda. Otherwise, there's not a duff or dull moment on this album.

On the other hand, I listened to Feels today and there's such a tremendously fidgety energy and sometimes overload of brilliant ideas but also - crucially - a confidence to do so very little. That made me realise what's kind of lacking from AC from the MPP onwards - there's perhaps too much vocals and focus on the song compared to their pre-SJ material. I miss AC just playing their instruments and shutting the fuck up.

Just some thoughts.

I stand by my opinion that you can hear that shift first start at the end of Lion in a Coma--the incessant singy repetition that was a hallmark of CHz.

Sacrleligihous perhaps but SWE is a little too long for me to want to listen every time. I don't want that minute long intro, I would rather straight into the Hawaiian groove and (yep, sorry) trim the triumphant coda. Otherwise, there's not a duff or dull moment on this album.

On the other hand, I listened to Feels today and there's such a tremendously fidgety energy and sometimes overload of brilliant ideas but also - crucially - a confidence to do so very little. That made me realise what's kind of lacking from AC from the MPP onwards - there's perhaps too much vocals and focus on the song compared to their pre-SJ material. I miss AC just playing their instruments and shutting the fuck up.

Just some thoughts.

Yeah, I think that's a good distinction that's actually pretty measurable. I personal enjoy both the long Winded meandering jamminess as well as the concise poppy structural stuff, but I think their early experimentation in "looseness" was probably more to do with naivety, finding the right atmosphere, and developing chemistry. If I had to wager a guess, without being prescriptive. Personally feels and skiffs have about the same super hazy heavy level of atmosphere, but they just develop them in very different "bursts". The music is much denser, but not necessarily at the cost of quality. Pretty logical that was developing considering PB's solo work and the MO of Painting With

Stan wrote:

Sacrleligihous perhaps but SWE is a little too long for me to want to listen every time. I don't want that minute long intro, I would rather straight into the Hawaiian groove and (yep, sorry) trim the triumphant coda. Otherwise, there's not a duff or dull moment on this album.

On the other hand, I listened to Feels today and there's such a tremendously fidgety energy and sometimes overload of brilliant ideas but also - crucially - a confidence to do so very little. That made me realise what's kind of lacking from AC from the MPP onwards - there's perhaps too much vocals and focus on the song compared to their pre-SJ material. I miss AC just playing their instruments and shutting the fuck up.

Just some thoughts.

I stand by my opinion that you can hear that shift first start at the end of Lion in a Coma--the incessant singy repetition that was a hallmark of CHz.

I always point to fbk/I Think I Can but yeah you’re maybe right. that song never worked for me

I assume by "on the other hand" Stan, that you're pointing out the contradiction in complaining about the long intro to SWE and also them not doing more instrumental parts.(?) But ya, Feels compared to this is a weird comparison because the amount of ambient/instrumental stretches are probably super close b/w those two specifically. SJ and PW probably have the least amount of instrumental only stretches

I def went thru a phase where I wanted SWE's ending to be shorter but I think I'm getting over it. It finally clicked that this part esp but whole song kinda sounds like Hyper-Bluegrass. The harmonies and mixing is so crazy there. I don't get the raw dopamine from Panda's drumming anymore, but I remember it...

And I don't get as much island energy from others, but if it is there, then its that and Walker only that have a bit of a "tropical" thing

so interested in how the first 3 songs lean towards dour. They've never opened an album like that. None of them are necessarily sad songs at all, and DS is borderline giddy, but the opening trinity is a pretty moody stretch for them.

Car Keys and R&D are my least favorite tracks and those 2 really own, so ya this rips.

Car Keys and R&D are my least favorite tracks and those 2 really own, so ya this rips.

Lol, those are my top 2.

Thanks for reaching out about my friends passing everyone, I appreciate it! It has been hard, but I'm surrounded by other close friends, and listening to a shit ton of Time Skiffs, and other music along with playing music. Animal Collective always seem to release music during critical times in my life. Maybe just every time is a critical time in my life. lol.

Also those last several interviews posted have been some of the best. A lot more mature than a lot of the other ones. Really excited to hear this Panda Petek album. I assume that since it is sampled base, it is gonna be a lot different than the acoustic stuff Panda played at his last show. Which is crazy, since we have a whole album of other panda stuff we haven't heard, but also Panda Bear is already thinking about other stuff. I imagine those sample snippets he has posted has something to do with the Sonic and PB album.

much love to you sputnik <3

so interested in how the first 3 songs lean towards dour. They've never opened an album like that. None of them are necessarily sad songs at all, and DS is borderline giddy, but the opening trinity is a pretty moody stretch for them.

it's definitely their most understated opening stretch of an album since... maybe ever? usually they have something big and bubbly in the first three songs, but here we don't get that until strung with everything, and even that one feels very serious compared to, like, floridada/grass/my girls/peacebone, though it's obviously still joyous

i have to say i really, really like the sequencing of this album. i think it works best on vinyl. one thing i've noticed from listening to a cd rip a ton is that the silences between "sides" like car keys>prester john and strung>walker are actually shorter than the ones between the tracks that are on the same sides on the lps. it doesn't quite feel right to me, but most people probably don't care about such a miniscule detail

been thinking about writing up track reviews but i just don't have the time to do it justice, so ratings will have to suffice for now:

dragon slayer - 9.5-10/10
car keys - 8.5-9.0/10
prester john - 10/10
strung with everything - 9.5-10/10
walker - 8.5-9.0/10
cherokee - 10/10
passer-by - 8.0-8.5/10
we go back - 8/10
royal and desire - 10/10

so yeah, the most 10/10s on an album of theirs (for me) since merriweather, and the most borderline 10s ever. they really knocked it out of the park here

There is a sound buried in the mix of “Strung,” beginning when Avey sings ‘Let’s take tonight you and me,’ that sounds like broken glass tinkling or a softly rattling tambourine with a super lofi bitrate. Annoys the hell outta me. Sounds like a bad mp3.

There is a sound buried in the mix of “Strung,” beginning when Avey sings ‘Let’s take tonight you and me,’ that sounds like broken glass tinkling or a softly rattling tambourine with a super lofi bitrate. Annoys the hell outta me. Sounds like a bad mp3.

If we're thinking of the same sound, that might just be amp hum?

ingenue wrote:

There is a sound buried in the mix of “Strung,” beginning when Avey sings ‘Let’s take tonight you and me,’ that sounds like broken glass tinkling or a softly rattling tambourine with a super lofi bitrate. Annoys the hell outta me. Sounds like a bad mp3.

If we're thinking of the same sound, that might just be amp hum?

No, it’s something Geo’s doing. Like throwing shards of glass at a window. Fookin’ ‘ell.

Hellomark wrote:

ingenue wrote:

There is a sound buried in the mix of “Strung,” beginning when Avey sings ‘Let’s take tonight you and me,’ that sounds like broken glass tinkling or a softly rattling tambourine with a super lofi bitrate. Annoys the hell outta me. Sounds like a bad mp3.

If we're thinking of the same sound, that might just be amp hum?

No, it’s something Geo’s doing. Like throwing shards of glass at a window. Fookin’ ‘ell.

Part of me thinks that's the "Friend shooting the refrigerator" sample.

are there places that haven't reviewed this yet you're surprised by? stereogum covered all the single drops, but never actually reviewed the album —— is that normal?