Collected Animals

I don't know if anybody has done a favorite album thread on this site yet, but as the anticipation of the new anco release boils up inside of all of us, I thought it'd be cathartic to revisit their catalogue and explore what makes their music inspire such a dedicated and devoted fandom.

So vote on your favorite anco album or EP, I've excluded the following releases because I felt that they floated too much on the line of being considered a legitimate animal collective album or ep, or didn't really supply us with enough material to warrant its consideration.

Live at 9:30 - No New Material
Keep + Animal Collective - Not really an "Animal Collective" release more of a "Panda Bear, Avey Tare, Geologist, Deakin" release
Monkey Been to Burn Town - Remixes
Honeycomb/Gotham - It's only two songs, so if you like this the most just vote for Centipede Hz
New Psycho Actives Vol. 1 - Only two songs

I encourage everybody who votes to leave a comment on the thread to tell everybody what you voted for and why (to promote conversation), however, we can all agree to respect one's anonymity.

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I cast my vote for Strawberry Jam. Even though I think some albums like Feels and Sung Tongs are artistically better than Strawberry Jam, I find myself favoring the digestible and more pop-oriented songs of Strawberry Jam over the acoustic drones of Sung Tongs or the irregular tempo of Feels (really fast tracks and then really slow ones). MPP is a great album, but I just think Strawberry Jam's lyrics are more fun and its production is just more appealing to me, while all of MPP's songs seem to exist in this blue electronic gooey world, Strawberry Jam exists in this lush green forest where everything is visible and nothing is foggy or obscured by goo. Centipede Hz has always been like a factory that exists next to Strawberry Jam, it's ugly when juxtaposed with SJ's forests, but independently it has its own majesty and beauty, albeit unnatural. I couldn't pick an EP as my sole favorite because I feel that they all are just extensions of ideas expressed on their companion albums and don't really stand that incredibly by themselves. However, I'd choose Water Curses as my favorite EP, I love the title track and feel that if the EP were expanded into a studio effort it would rival that of Strawberry Jam, it is the perfect nexus between Strawberry Jam and MPP. I really love all of their other albums but just have never been as drawn to an album like I've been to Strawberry Jam. When I get in my car in the morning there is a great chance that #1 or Derek will come on as my car attempts to complete the album's cycle that I started yesterday. I love Strawberry Jam, it's as simple as that.

Least favorite release? I don't have any, I just wish that there were versions of Danse and Spirit (only the first song really) without the high pitched noises because they honestly just hurt my ears sometimes.

Happy Album Collecting Everybody!

Here Comes the Indian just because I've never heard anything else quite like it and probably never will. All of the other albums have been emulated by other bands after their release or have elements of some kind of music that came before, HCTI just seemed to come out of nowhere and is completely in its own world.

Probably Panda Bear's Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not

Or Feels

Best EP is Water Curses

That's a really good point, Here Comes the Indian really is very unique, have you listened to this heat? I think HCTI was heavily inspired by their track Horizontal Hold, especially 1:36 when they stop playing suddenly and then start again.

Here Comes the Indian is also my favorite, because I've listened to it the most without getting tired of it. Also because it's so unique, as said above

I don't know if all of you HCTI fans have heard of this or not, but I just discovered the HCTI Ark mix it's really cool.
also here's a present everybody can enjoy

also appreciating the ODDSAC and water curses love up in the poll

Here Comes the Indian is also my favorite, because I've listened to it the most without getting tired of it. Also because it's so unique, as said above

I can't really relate to people who likes HCTI the most. it's kind of hard to like, no?

It's subjective. I remember listening to snippets and thinking, "what the hell is this?" But when I finally got around to listening to the the whole thing it clicked pretty fast. I tried showing friends and my brothers and they were like, "what the hell is this?"

I love it, it's seriously a special record. Lotta memories of that one. One in particular is listening to Two Sails On a Sound during a hurricane that knocked out power in New York. I was alone in my apartment and had no idea what was happening, people across the city were screaming when the power went. Had no wi-Fi or phone connectivity. Eerie as hell but oddly calming. Gonna love that album forever.

Favourite release is an impossible question for me. It always changes, though I guess that's stating the obvious with a band like this

csw wrote:

Here Comes the Indian is also my favorite, because I've listened to it the most without getting tired of it. Also because it's so unique, as said above

I can't really relate to people who likes HCTI the most. it's kind of hard to like, no?

Most idiotic post of the era.

HCTI is incredible. it's a close third fave for me.

Feels (voted)
Sung Tongs
HCTI

feels is so classic and loveable that it felt wrong to pick anything else.. daffy duck, banshee beat, did you see the words.. it has so many good things. feels like the heart of ac. sung tongs has a sound that appeals to me personally and it took a long time for me to like it so much. like i went from hating mouth wooed her to having it be my favorite track by far. special album. here comes the indian took a little time as well but on the second listen I was like wait. this.. is perfection

HCTI is amazing, but I listen to it too rarely to call it a fave

idk if this is weird but i still kinda like down there and person pitch more than any ac release

Here Comes The Indian is the best album ever made

Centipede Hz, of course.

I like my crack

Feels
SJ
HCTI
WC
TTG

These 5 releases are all flawless to me. So many great memories and brain visuals associated them

I voted for Feels because I fell deepest and earliest in love with it but Spirit is probably the most special and unique. Alvin Row is a song I can't really ever share it with anyone because it's not a song that most people would even listen to but you guys will understand instinctively.

you guys will understand instinctively.

that's why we're here

but in all seriousness , it would be , in my opinion ...

Spirit
Feels
HCTI

this is tuff

Yeah, that's pretty much me. I don't listen to HCTI as much as, say, Sung Tongs or MPP or SJ, but there's nothing quite like it or which gives me that feeling. That said, I feel that way about all their records. Sung Tongs era is definitely my favourite live stuff and probably my favourite music of all my life.

Feels, but HCTI is close

depends on whether i want to feel emotionally filled up or emotionally drained

i'd be crazy not to pick sung tongs

also how does campfire songs have zero votes

I think campfire songs is a very vital record for animal collectove to have made, it proved that they could escape all of the sort of electronic focused ideas of their previous albums and allowed them to create albums like sung tongs and feels. But, having said that, it always seems more like a not so missing link in animal collective's evolution over being an album that many people frequently listen to.

I had to vote Fall Be Kind...its just my favorite and I always go back to it. I love all the albums/EPs of course but if I had to pick one to listen to for the rest of eternity it would be FBK. Really great jams and transcendent for me.

prospect

^dang u serious? could see that release coming out during a crucial personal time and thus being super resonant forever tho so i get that


i chose oddsac but mostly cuz i just couldnt decide between mpp and chz and it is a pretty good, holistic almost representation of their discog... strawb/mpp/chz are too tied for me to actually choose well tho...and mr fingers/what happened are perfect so...

feel like strawberry isnt getting love cuz the ppl who woulda voted for it are voting for feels or mpp, and like nah man, who are we kidding if strawberry isnt their most solid album (maybe? idk..)

danse/hollin/hcti/campire ppl are psycho but i respect the hell out of u (campfire rlly isnt that weird... just dont dig acoustic sound enough personally..)

I want to here something from whoever chose Danse Manatee. That is bold. Doritos Bold. 96 pt Impact bold.

feel like strawberry isnt getting love cuz the ppl who woulda voted for it are voting for feels or mpp, and like nah man, who are we kidding if strawberry isnt their most solid album (maybe? idk..)

And yeah, I chose SJ because I'd be lying to myself if I chose anything else, even though feels may be the album I want myself to like better because it appears to be a more artistic/deeper choice.

danse/hollin/hcti/campire ppl are psycho but i respect the hell out of u (campfire rlly isnt that weird...)

are you really criticizing people's choice of animal collective albums for being too "weird"

^lol no. no..

lol at feels appearing to be a "more artistic/deeper choice. "

2nd side of feels kicks my ass hard, but ive just never been an acolyte of the album in the same way msot of the forum seems to be... the mix is a little trebly/washed out... dont hugely dig grass/purple bottle honestly... manic love-crazed avey i think just isnt quite my thing? idk. ive only ever fallen manically in love once and it didnt sound like feels at all. but loch raven is like top 5 ac so

but ya banshee i was kidding. i love those first 5 lps, but for some reason they spoke to me way more in highschool and felt like gateways/stepping stones to all kinds of thing and i love them for that, but my slightly older self only evr wants to put on post-feels stuff (sorry st) and thats kind of the side of the band that i care abt most, but no i do understand ppl who will always be team hcti/danse/campfire

^dang u serious?

lol at feels appearing to be a "more artistic/deeper choice. "

lol people expressing opinions.

And yes I think that feels has a reputation as the sort of thing that you have to be a true Anco fan to like. SJ appeals to a wider audience, songs like bees and daffy duck are very hard for people who aren't super into anco to digest and accept. Feels is the sort of album that people may say is their favorite just to be able to say that feels is their favorite album. They may like the idea of feels more than the actual music on the album. I love feels, but SJ is just my favorite. It's sort of like people saying their favorite beatles member is ringo because paul or john are always people's favorites. Ya feels?

no ya i kinda get u. and i wasnt trying to harsh vibes.. just being a dummy. i know how opinions work.. my b

BUT.... if u chose danse/hollin/hcti/campire yr cray! and sung tongs/feels is cray too! electronic pop ac all the wayy!!!!!

I have to say that I'm not surprised at the lack of love for "people", I think it's one of their weaker releases, which is surprising cuz it's the companion ep for feels, which everyone loves - well i guess everyone who loves "people" probably loves feels more though.

tikwid is dope though

all you MPP voters better take a look at this take on "my girls", cuz the one thing "my girls" was lacking was the guy from community rapping over it.

people ep would be majorly taken up a notch if fickle cycle were on it.


what other notable bands have spent 5 years making way out there experimental music and then becoming an nnnearly radio friendly pop band while still putting out ambient/experimental releases the whole time? honestly curious. genesis?

lil b