Collected Animals

I haven't heard him talk much about this before. I was listening to Strawberry Jam today, been revisiting it a lot lately, and was thinking how some of the surrealistic imagery was Dylan-esque. Obviously they are very different musicians but lines like 'bulimic vegetarian wins weight contest' and 'the other side of takeout is mildew on rice' seem like a modern demented version of late 60's Dylan to me. And the reference to Jack the Ripper in Unsolved Mysteries was a very Dylan move, I believe Dylan even references him in Tombstone Blues coincidentally enough.

I don't think Avey Tare writes THAT much like Bob Dylan or anything but it was the first time I could actually compare Avey's style to someone elses. Generally Avey's songwriting is on a league of it's own, so quick to transport you to a far away place. I guess in a way Syd Barrett was like that too. Just wondering what other stuff/influences you guys might see in his lyrics

I don't think I've ever come across another lyricist like Avey. I've tried, but it's one of the things that makes AC so unique to me. His lyrics from 2005-2009 are among my favourite of all time. The best ones seem so lively, joyous and romantic, but never in an over-the-top or cheesy cliched kind of way. Even his darker lyrics from that period have a sense of excitement and wonder to them. That's really hard to come across. He's been a big influence on my own writing, but I can never seem to capture the mood he does.

Twas love at first hear .... Only this man can woo so many good people together. Of course with a little help from his friends. But really , aveys lyrics are too much .... In the best way possible.

Some of my favorite lyrics from Dave have come from unique live performances. These are the moments where he seems to have written lyrics just hours before they're preformed. The stuff he's chanting and moaning about during 9:30's version of pulleys comes to mind



Also, Stephan Malkmus seems pretty influential to his lyrical style, but they have their own idiosyncratic vocal deliveries. The opening lines to Shady Lane, for example, seem like something Avey would write:

Blind date with the chancer, we had oysters and dry lancers
And the check, when it arrived, we went dutch, dutch, dutch, dutch
A redder shade of neck on a whiter shade of trash
And this emery board is giving me a rash

Also, Stephan Malkmus seems pretty influential to his lyrical style, but they have their own idiosyncratic vocal deliveries. The opening lines to Shady Lane, for example, seem like something Avey would write:

Blind date with the chancer, we had oysters and dry lancers
And the check, when it arrived, we went dutch, dutch, dutch, dutch
A redder shade of neck on a whiter shade of trash
And this emery board is giving me a rash

Good call, I def see the influence there. Panda Bear has really come into his own lyrically too. Watch the new album is a rock opera written by Geologist

I don't have much to contribute to this discussion, but I'd like to put it out there that For Reverend Green is lyrically my favourite song Avey's ever written

love his lyrics in Graze, No More Runnin, Spirit They've Vanished, Seal Eyeing, #1, dystw, lotsa others. I like the parts of Visiting Friends that I can understand, nice imagery

not sure what to say abt influences I guess. Probably the Dead and other psychedelic stuff

I'm totes a far more Panda fan than Avey, but full props given. Avey has a wild style, definitely individual...
I'd have to say the 930 LP clearly shows his style is really a monster when live -- that is when he really shines for me... this improv energy he has really has to be caught in the right way so not to sound overly contrived on a studio record

I don't have much to contribute to this discussion, but I'd like to put it out there that For Reverend Green is lyrically my favourite song Avey's ever written

Yeah that's a great tune. I really like Banshee Beat, Fireworks, Summertime Clothes, What Would I Want Sky, and Kids On Holiday

His lyrics are amazing! I think that they all mean something literal for the most part, like there's some metaphors but not too much. And i think some of them go both ways. I think he connects a bunch of really direct, literal lyrics in unexpected ways and makes them seem like they almost make no sense. "on a Highway," man. Those are some fucking lyrics. And kids oh Holiday. Also visiting friends, peacebone, safer, street flash, I see you pan, and all of em haha.

His screams are so fucking over-the-top energetic and wild on purple on on 9:30 live. That whole song just captures this unrelenting manic energy of having a strong crush haha.

a lot of his lyrics remind me of magic realism/fantasy stuff from the olden days. like old fantasy flicks (Holy Mountain imagery). im sure he has been inspired by that kindof stuff. Personally, fickle cycle is my favorite song of his lyrically.

I would say Kurt cobain might be an influence

I would say Kurt cobain might be an influence

Yeah that's a good call too

i think something that avey draws upon a lot is those weird unexplainable connections and imagery everyone (or at least i can relate to it) comes up with, but usually people dismiss it as just stupid imagination bs and not real emotional connection
but he hits u right with it
bare in mind i understood this very very very clearly one time last year when i was too high and listening to fireworks and could feel my body spinning out in time with the drumbeat over and over and i was focused on the lyrics and understood every fkn weird piece of imagery he came up with
i cant explain it really at all and thats whats so magical about his lyrics is that u cant explain why they hit u like they do but u cant deny that they do
imo

i understood this very very very clearly one time last year when i was too high and listening to fireworks and could feel my body spinning out in time with the drumbeat over and over and i was focused on the lyrics and understood every fkn weird piece of imagery he came up with
i cant explain it really at all and thats whats so magical about his lyrics is that u cant explain why they hit u like they do but u cant deny that they do
imo

Yah I feel ya. Fireworks was one of the songs that really clicked with me when I started listening to AC and that one will always have a special place in my heart. It reminds me so much of autumn, my favorite season.

I revisited Centipede Hz recently and I was surprised how different his lyric styles were. They seemed way more upfront and literal. Some songs like Moon Jock and Applesauce seem to be about his youth, so maybe he was tapping more into his personal experiences for that album. Today's Supernatural has pretty cool lyrics, and the flow of Monkey Riches is classic Avey but that album was such a different direction for them in every sense.

Honestly tho, I think Down There is soooo perfect especially the lyrics. Laughing Hieroglyphic, Oliver Twist and Ghost of Books are so emotional, spooky, and poetic, especially the delivery. I was going through some really rough shit when that album came out, stuff pretty similar to what Avey was going through, so the weight of that album is really heavy for me. It's kinda weird, whenever he drops a solo album, same thing happened when Slasher Flicks came out, some big sad thing happens in my life that I immediately attach the music to that period in my life, haha. Music heals all wounds!!!

Down There probably has the best AC-related-project lyrics and is the overall most underrated album. It's so very personal and confessional. Plus, he always manages to change up the rhythm or melody when he delivers his big line just to give it the extra oomf.

And when I get fucked up, I'll do my best to not get fucked up again, my heart and my lungs too. Why can't I do the same for everyone I love too?