Collected Animals

Marta Salogni interview in the newest Tape Op. She says this about mixing Skiffs:

wrote:

Q:I also listened to Time Skiffs by Animal Collective. I imagine you had rough mixes that had that gauzy reverb presence on the vocals, where they are sort of separate from the music. Is that correct?

Marta: With that, I spoke mostly with Brian [Weitz, a.k.a. “Geologist”]. We were always in touch about how elements in the mix should sound, and what the intent with the music was. I’m a huge fan of their music, and so I felt I had these songs I used to dance to as a teenager ingrained in me. When I was mixing it, I felt, “It needs to feel like Animal Collective,” because they have such a huge span of work. But I would also think, “Maybe the bass could have a little bit more definition.” There are so many elements to their tracks. They’re so rich. I wanted everything to have its own space, and everything to be very defined. I wanted the group vocals to have that quality of feeling like one vocal.

Q:True, right.

Marta: Gel them together and have the percussion all around it. When I mix, I almost feel like I try and visualize it in a 3D depth and height. One of my favorite things I learned when I was studying sound was the phantom center of the two speakers. It truly feels like I can create these prisms of 3D moving within stereo. That’s how I see it in my head. I want the bass to be the foundation. Sometimes it can be mono and sometimes it can be stereo, as long as it feels good in mono. Then I can build upon that. Here’s where I put the beat: The kick drum, and then I put the snare across it, the vocals round it up, and the percussion is a little bit on top of the vocals. Everything needs to feel focused and cohesive. That’s how I approached that. I wanted the experience for the listeners and the band to be immersive and to tip the hat to all their previous records, but also to have mixes that would feel like a step forward.

Full interview here https://tapeop.com/interviews/153/marta-salogni/

One of my biggest gripes about Time Skiffs has been its tempo. It has felt, to me, like it really drags. But I’m listening tonight and my perception is that the songs sound almost rushed! What the hell. Like I’m hearing a different, better record. A strange but groovy sensation.

ingenue wrote:

One of my biggest gripes about Time Skiffs has been its tempo. It has felt, to me, like it really drags. But I’m listening tonight and my perception is that the songs sound almost rushed! What the hell. Like I’m hearing a different, better record. A strange but groovy sensation.

Have you cut out caffeine lately?

Strung with Cheese?

One of my biggest gripes about Time Skiffs has been its tempo. It has felt, to me, like it really drags. But I’m listening tonight and my perception is that the songs sound almost rushed! What the hell. Like I’m hearing a different, better record. A strange but groovy sensation.

Also, I love Dragon Slayer. Totally one of their most memorable, and special(?) openers. It's a bit of a black sheep, but in such a stellar way, cuz I feel like most of their openers have this 'self-importance' that almost detaches from the rest of the album, whereas slayer feels like this... ego-less(?) track that settles in a much more subconscious way, and really does feel like the innocent, unassuming start to a grand adventure. This album is almost structured like a Nintendo game's levels, definitely transportative in a less immediately human way, and more through the mindful observation of environments.

car keys to me is the only one that feels just slightly too slow, both on first listen and still, all the others feel like the right tempo

Went back and listened to the Meow Wolf boot last night, despite the placeholder lyrics in Dragon Slayer and Car Keys those versions are still really nice. I used to find the stripped back nature of those songs weak as they compared to the full studio versions, but I'm not so sure anymore. Wonder how those songs turn out if they were recorded in March/April 2020 as planned instead of the remote reality.

One positive is that the songs that have yet to be released all could benefit from maximized production.

Can't believe we're still waiting on a full release of Gem and I in 2023. I have such high hopes for the chorus, I really hope they nail that to its fullest potential. @WinterCityWalks had a great cover of that in the Time Skiifs cover thread, looks like the link got taken down though. Bummer. The way they made the verse explode into a chaotic chorus worked so well. First time I've ever had a cover that unlocked my love for the actual song!

huh weird yea cherokee intro alright. Could be coincidence but this isn't even the first time we've sorta thught Dave has heard Ocarina of Time ost huh. Right?

try:

1. Prester John
2. We Go Back
3. Dragon Slayer
4. Strung With Everything
5. Royal and Desire
6. Cherokee
7. Car Keys
8. Passerby
9. Walker

medieval jazz theme

lhtd wrote:

medieval jazz theme

excuse me? i don't hear that at all on this album but that sounds sick and i wish i could

TetsuoUnderFire wrote:

lhtd wrote:

medieval jazz theme

excuse me? i don't hear that at all on this album but that sounds sick and i wish i could

I think the album itself drifted away from this zone but if you listen to shows from 2019 it's more apparent. I don't think the band ever said that's what they were aiming for specifically, but with the hurdy-gurdy, titles prester john and dragon slayer, and the harpsichord sound that defeat had at the time, "medieval" was a fairly appropriate touchstone to describe the new songs' vibe