Animal Collective

Nearly ten years! I've known about this NYC group since their beginning pretty much, but never went ahead and bought anything. Maybe it's because they managed to get out of the gutter and made a name for themselves (providing songs for indie films, becoming darlings of the alternative music press), but I'm not that closed to commercial success. I don't know! I've even had a few albums on mp3 for the longest time, loved what I heard, but never actually took out my wallet to purchase some recordings. Why? I have no fucking clue! I've always been a fan even though I've never truly followed them throughout their career. Flash forward to 2007, November, it's cold and gray in Montreal, I'm pretty depressed about everything, shopping for my girlfriend's birthday present (which is pretty much my sole consolation that day); once this is done however, I feel the sudden urge to buy a few records for myself (even though I received a few in the mail the very same day - some people take drugs to feel better, I buy music). I wind up in a small music store in a huge local megamall and notice they're getting rid of everything in store for a fraction of the price and lo and behold: they have two Animal Collective albums for sale (and God knows they have no clue what they're getting rid of here)! It was the perfect opportunity to start collecting their work.

How could I not fall in love with this band? It had/has everything I loved from the whole experimental NYC scene of the mid-nineties: completely fucked up alien sounds, hyperactive noise, a certain pop sensibility (which is what Radiohead always wanted to be but were never able to - they would simply never dare to go this far), chaotic melodies and most important: beauty through mayhem! This is how I would describe Animal Collective's music: absolutely breathtaking, yet completely insane and manic. Their sound would eventually mellow down a bit as they became more famous, but thankfully, they have never completely abandoned their experimental roots and every new album becomes a new surprise for the fans. This is candy for all you psych-folk-noise-wtf fans out there. Now that I've started finding their albums, you can bet your collective asses there will be more on the way eventually.

Hollinndagain Label: Paw Tracks Release: 2002 Format: CD Cat. no: PAW 012
Song list:
I See You Pan (10:25) Pride And Fight (11:24) Forest Gospel (4:24) There's An Arrow (3:05) Lablacely Dress (5:23) Tell It To The Mountain (4:37) Pumpkin Gets A Snakebite (2:18)

Here Comes The Indian Label: Paw Tracks Release: 2003 Format: CD Cat. no: PAW1
Song list:
Native Belle (3:52) Hey Light (5:41) Infant Dressing Table (8:36) Panic (4:49) Two Sails On A Sound (12:21) Slippi (2:49) Too Soon (6:27)

Sung Tongs Label: Fat Cat Records Release: 2004 Format: CD Cat. no: FAT-SP08
Song list:
Leaf House (2:43) Who Could Win a Rabbit (2:19) The Softest Voice (6:47) Winters Love (4:55) Kids On Holiday (5:47) Sweet Road (1:16) Visiting Friends (12:37) College (0:53) We Tigers (2:43) Mouth Wooed Her (4:25) Good Lovin Outside (4;27) Whaddit I Done (4:06)

Grass
Label: Fat Cat Records
Release: 2005
Format: CD + DVD
Cat. no: DVD7FAT19

Song list:

CD:

Grass (2:58)
Must Be Treeman (3:14)
Fickle Cycle (4:29)

DVD:

Grass (3:14)
Who Could Win A Rabbit (2:22)
Fickle Cycle (4:57)
Lake Damage (6:03)
Credits (1:30)

Strawberry Jam Label: Domino Recording Co. Ltd Release: 2007 Format: CD Cat. no: DNO156
Song list:
Peacebone (5:13) Unsolved Mysteries (4:25) Chores (4:30) For Reverend Green (6:35) Fireworks (6:51) #1 (4:33) Winter Wonder Land (2:45) Cuckoo Cuckoo (5:42) Derek (3:01)