The farther back you get in AnCo's discography, the weirder, more formless, and noisier they get. I was actually just blasting this album on the way home tonight from a friends lmao. My favorite album but definitely not for everyone.
I don't know if someone has already said this but I'll say it just because... The reason why they say "You don't have to go to college" in College is because when Dave Portner (Avey Tare) was thinking it up, he thought about the song "Be True to Your School" by the Beach Boys. That song is filled with lyrics about having school spirit and supporting your team and stuff. Dave wanted to make the antithesis of that just to maybe poke a little joke. The song has actually garnered reactions from people who thank the song for encouraging them to drop out of college. These people have thanked these guys for saying this one silly line in a song. So really, it's just the opposite of a Beach Boys song.
That was great, wasn't expecting Sung Tongs, but solid choice nonetheless. I really like your videos, you seem to put so much thought and care behind all of these album reactions, it's endearing. You should definitely check out their debut "Spirit They're Gone, Spirit They're Vanished", it has one of my favorite AnCo songs, "Alvin Row". Also, I believe it was in Merriweather Post Pavilion's reaction that you mentioned about your LP collection, I'd definitely would like to see those. Anyways, keep up the good content, brother!
Thank you so much that seriously means the world!! I am planning to go through all of the big AnCo releases for sure, and ones impersonally interested in. Also yeah! That's definitely. video that will happen at some point :)
I feel like one the things that makes this album feels so unique is the way that although the record is composed of mostly acoustic instruments, they do a lot of manipulation of the sounds and vocals, sometimes they put some samples of conversations (which is very uncommon for folk music, as far as I know) or put weird distortions and effects in the vocals, and even some completely dry clap sounds like they do in "Who Could Win A Rabbit". This is something that I don't see being done a lot in most acoustic and folk music, other examples that I can think of are The Microphones and Neutral Milk Hotel, both of which also like to mess in the production sometimes. Also, I feel like this record has a lot of themes (both in the lyrics and the sounds) of what it means to be a child and having childlike views of life, which might explains some of the simple but also surreal lyrics and the way their voices sound higher than it sounds on later records like MPP, in which they talk about some more mature and grown-up themes (like being a father in My Girls and Also Frightened). Other reasons that makes me feel that this might be a theme on this record it's because it used to be a really common theme on a lot of early AnCo stuff, their first album is all about being a child and growing up, and they try to represent that through sounds by mixing some really dreamy instrumentation and ocasional really noisy and unconfortable sounds too (which represents losing innocence). I wasn't expecting to write that much, but it just happened LOL. AnCo used to be my favorite band growing up and they mean a lot to me, so I have a lot of "knowledge" about them that I learned through listening a lot and reading different threads online of people discussing their music and watching interviews, etc. This particular era of early AnCo is specially interesting when you see their live performances and "videoclipes" of that time, they used to play while using animal masks, which kind of explains the name "Animal Collective" and some of the more "animalistic" sounds (and songs like "We Tigers") of their records at the time.
If you like the ambient acoustic side of Animal Collective, then their album Campfire Songs should be your next, because that's all that album is. Or you could try the album Young Prayer by Panda Bear (solo project of one of the guys in Animal Collective) because it's sort of a companion album to Campfire Songs.
I can't even recall how I felt listening to this album on first listen (it was a decade ago by now) but all these years later it's now an album I can put on and enjoy all the way through. Thank you for going on this journey, it's been fun to see. Edit: So glad you dug Mouth Wooed Her on first listen. This album is full of bangers but that one has such a grip on me for some reason
Love your reactions to these animal collective albums! I would really enjoy seeing you react to their 4 track ep Water Curses at some point. I think the lyrics are very beautiful and thoughtful, especially Street Flash. It was released right after Strawberry Jam.
I'm loving watching your animal collective journey. It seems like you like their more ambient soundscape stuff. I'd recommend the meeting of the waters ep. And the song street flash. Definitely hope you continue
You should check out Sleep Cycle by Deakin. Definitely my favorite Animal Collective solo release so far. And lyrically, it's way more understandable and relatable.
if you're gonna check out more anco, if you want to know there most Out There, it would probably be Ark (formally Here Comes the Indian). It sounds like a psychadellic romp through the woods of a tribe of people that have never interacted with a society, but its very joyus and super strange. Very anti music, but not in the really dirty kind of "I hate music i want to destroy it" kind of way, its just like an expression of funny excitement. the other 2 Big Ones are Strawberry Jam and if you are a "True Anco Fan" you could check out Spirit Their Gone if you'd like. It's become a huge fan favorite over the years and some people consider it to be their best (I'm not one of them, but I think it has really great moments) Although it does mix a lot of noise music into it which may be a turn off, some tracks may hurt the ears quite a bit, but its such a unique use of the genre that no one else has really done quite like they did. I'm sure you're gonna check out SJ soon so I won't go into much detail, but it's well regarded for a reason, it kinda messes the poppyness of MPP and the strangeness of their earlier stuff. Not really any atmospheric tracks tho unfortunatly, mostly just Tunes. I like anco a lot if you couldn't tell. There are more albums by them that are deeper cuts if you'd develop a deep interest in the band, but I'd say the 3 albums listed as of now are pretty essential imo
Damn haha they have a wide diversity. I'm all about that stuff for sure. I am definitely excited to go through more of their catalog and I really appreciate you sticking around :)
I would agree with this. I see people recommending spirit they're gone spirit they've vanished and that baffles me. If he's confused by the experimentation in this album, he definitely needs to be eased into the experimentation if he wants to continue to listen.
You should really check out the live performance of this album that they did for pitchfork a couples years ago! One of my favorite videos on the internet
This album took a few listens before it clicked but honestly I usually skip Visiting Friends, Good Lovin Outside, and Whaddit I Done. I’ll echo everyone saying you should react to Strawberry Jam next! It’ll blow your mind
Defintely react to strawberry jam than person pitch. This album took me around 6 listens to enjoy it now i view it as a masterpiece. Excited to see more in the future!
Nah Leaf House is about Panda Bear's dead father Also there is a good b side for this album called Prospect Hummer which works amazing as a closer so I just use that one
@@Danny__Noble well I mean, b-side/outtake is kinda the same thing at this point. Avey confirmed that it was intended for the album in the Sung Tongs Live video
I'm glad I was a fan from early on because it would've been a bit harder for me to digest and appreciate Sung Tongs if I heard it after their later stuff. Lol. Having said that, I was obsessed with Leaf House for a long time. Also, I never listen to the closing track. Lol.
You should check out Come In by Weatherday, its pretty lo-fi but its been compared by many to Twin Fantasy, I think its amazing and is on par with TF for me. Similar passion and energy but different vibe and instrumentation
Hey dude. Spirit ends with their actual longest song - it's 13 minutes and it's not an ambient track. That album is equal among the three you've done and Strawberry Jam but gets forgotten because it was before they blew up
you should react to some xiu xiu. couldnt really come up with a single album to recommend bc i love pretty much all of them so much, but forget is probably their most accessible, along with fabulous muscles, the air force, always, and knife play. if youre looking for something really out there a promise, girl with basket of fruit, and angel guts: red classroom would fit that bill
Don't stop at their big 4. Solo albums are essential too. You should really listen to literally everything they've made, including EPs like prospect hummer and water curses. Painting with is my favorite, but a lot of people hate on it
Lamento escribir en español pero no tengo otra mejor manera de expresarme, mi Inglés es pobre xddd lol (Sorry not sorry XD) Pero si algo debo aportar es que la canción "Winters Love" aparece en un especial de Los Simpsons, cuando Bart hace que un crucero quede varado en el polo sur a propósito, para según el extender sus vacaciones, cosa que obviamente sale mal, pero termine con un gran final. De los mejores episodios modernos de la serie y Winters Love queda perfecto en ese momento
I think whatever lyric site you were using had some rather... different interpretations of the lyrics. As in, I think some of them are wrong. Might check some other lyric sites.
Check out the live version on the Sung Tongs live pitchfork video if you haven't already. I shit you not, that version is in my top 10 AnCo songs. Which makes the donald duck version on the album all the more frustrating
