Animal Collective Live

On Thursday night I had the wonderful privilege of seeing Animal Collective perform live at the House of Blues in Boston. The concert only increased my awe and respect for the members of the collective, and solidified their status as my favorite band of all time. Following the more quiet, reverb-loving noise folk act Grouper (who also sounded pretty cool), Avey, Panda, and Geologist took to the stage with high energy and churned out track after track of danceable animal grooves. The band played continuously for about an hour and a half, rarely speaking but instead shouting random noises into the microphones and playing with the electronic equipment. They only stopped to take a brief break before the encore, to say "thank you" to everyone for coming, and to exclaim "that one was wild" after the audience got a bit too rowdy during "Slippi."

The stage was set up like a DJ dance/disco hall, with a giant floating orb projecting various images and videos while strobe lights flashed and rainbows erupted in time with the beats. The MPP album cover was draped across the back like a flag, and all the flashing lights served to enhance the optical illusion. There was also a drum set behind Panda's sound board, though it remained unused much to my dismay and was probably there just as a back-up.

The AC fans in the audience went wild during the more upbeat songs: people crowd-surfed, moshed, bounced up and down, and knocked into each other repeatedly as the pulsing rhythms filled the venue. I wasn't expecting anything like a dance party when I first got to the concert, but found it was really fun to lose myself in the movements of everyone around me. Clouds of smoke also erupted as various people lit up during the more trance-like parts of the concert, though some were asked to leave by security (not cool.)

Here's the set list (I tried to recreate the exact order, but some things may be mixed up):

Concert:
1. "What Would I Want Sky"
2. "Summertime Clothes"
3. "Guys Eyes"
4. "#1"
5. "Slippi"
6. "Who Could Win A Rabbit?"
7. "Fireworks Essplode"
8. "Bleed"
9. "Comfy In Nautica"
10. "Brother Sport"

Encore:
11. "Chocolate Girl"
12. "My Girls"
13. "Leaf House"

Click on the links to download mp3s of the new songs or see video clips I took of my favorite parts of the concert. (The videos for "Slippi," "My Girls," and "Summertime Clothes" were taken and posted by someone else.)

"What Would I Want Sky" is an awesome new post-MPP song that sounds warm, sunny, and a bit repetitive. "Bleed" is also new, though it might've gone unnoticed by many as it sounds similar to the sonic experimentation between songs. "Fireworks Essplode" is a medley where verses from "Lablakely Dress" and "Essplode" (from Danse Manatee) were inserted between the parts of "Fireworks" from Strawberry Jam. The tunes from older albums were also given new mixes, almost as if the band were updating its catalogue to fit in more with the new material. "Slippi," "Chocolate Girl," "Who Could Win A Rabbit?" and "Leaf House" were all set to a different backdrop of dance beats and electronic samples provided by Geologist and Panda, sounding as if they were part of Merriweather Post Pavilion. Another cool treat was the performance of Panda Bear's "Comfy In Nautica," which none of us were really expecting but went over really well. Though I was pleased to here all of the aforementioned, my favorite was definitely "#1," which sounded even stranger and more bizarrely ritualistic when coupled with the swirling onstage images and the hypnotic ambience that fell over the crowd. I would've liked to hear "Safer," "Daily Routine," or anything from Feels, which was conspicuously absent, but I guess that's what live albums are for and I really can't complain. Check out the audio streams of their other concerts (just search on Stereogum) to hear more.

The bottom line is, if Animal Collective ever comes near you while on tour, GO SEE THEM! I guarantee that you'll have a good time. Also, check out the video clips I took during the concert to get more of a feel for what it was like. Below is my video of one of the new songs:

13 Great Albums From 2008

I'm starting off my year-end lists for 2008 with a list of thirteen great albums that should be listened to but weren't lucky enough (get it? 13?) to make the top 10 (which I will post tomorrow, along with the top 20 tracks and the superlatives.) These albums aren't in any particular order (except alphabetical), as it's hard to distinguish them because they're all really good but also not perfect. Here goes:

Alegranza! by El Guincho: Pablo Diaz-Reixa's album of sample-based Spanish pop draws from various styles, such as Tropicalia, afrobeat, and dub. His sound is so similar to last year's Person Pitch through its similar use of loops that he is sometimes called the "Spanish Panda Bear."

Alopecia by Why?: The latest work from one of the better artists on the anticon label, Yoni Wolf's album of underground psych influenced hip-hop strikes a different chord with each track, most notably with "Good Friday."


Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill by Grouper: Refer to an earlier post for a full review of this wonderful gem of sleep-inducing noise pop.



Heretic Pride by The Mountain Goats: The latest addition to the mountain of a discography from a very endearing (and sometimes rather whiney) lo-fi indie folk rock group. The songs are very simple and honest; both immediately catchy and also ripen with repeated listens. It's a shame its January release left it forgotten on most other year-end reviews.

HLLLYH by The Mae Shi: The proper debut from Las Angeles pop-punk band combines Dan Deacon-esque electronics with catchy riffs and grating vocals, creating a fine collection of quirky and exciting songs like "Run To your Grave."

Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel by Atlas Sound: An incredible shoegaze/dream-pop solo record from the incredibly prolific frontman of Deerhunter, Bradford Cox. Comprised of beautiful layers and textures of repeated melodies, such as on the phenomenal "Winter Vacation."

Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson by Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson: A great freak-folk debut from MBAR and his collaborators, which include Kyp Malone of TVOTR and Daniel Rossen of Grizzly Bear and Department Of Eagles. How could it not be good?

Saint Dymphna by Gang Gang Dance: The long-awaited follow-up to 2005's masterpiece, God's Money, this album sees GGD go electronic. This album blurs the boundaries between house, dance, jazz, punk and folk music, resulting in another groundbreaking, genre-defying record from a very adventurous group of musicians. Plus, "First Communion" is ridiculously good.

Sea Lion by The Ruby Suns: An exciting collection of pop songs from a group of hip youngsters from New Zealand. The record seems to draw heavy influences from Animal Collective and twee groups like Architecture In Helsinki, and it works quite well.

The Stand Ins by Okkervil River: A continuation of last year's excellent The Stage Names, this album sees Okkervil River produce even more catchy, upbeat tunes. However, the emotion is still genuine and raw, especially on the phenomenal track "Starry Stair."

Visiter by Dodos: Another record inspired by the psychedelic folk of Animal Collective, Meric Long and friends perfect the formula of tribal drumming and rapid guitar strumming to craft a set of wonderful songs, including the increasingly popular "Fools."


Women by Women: Again, see an earlier post to read a full review of this short-but-sweet set of catchy noise-pop melodies blended among beautiful sound art experiments.


You & Me by The Walkmen: There's nothing too interesting about The Walkmen's music, as it's basically just the typical indie rock formula of rock instruments and average-quality vocals, but these guys really have a knack for writing songs, both with the fast-paced and exciting such as "On The Water" and the toned-down introspections of "Red Moon."

Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill; April; Youth Novels; Naked Acid

Here are my thoughts on four more important albums from 2008...

...the best of which is Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill by Grouper. The album is a majestic piece of melancholy fuzzed-over folk guitar melodies, driven by Liz Harris' soft, echoing voice. The music is very earthy and natural, both themes reflected in some of the lyrics, such as in "Fishing Bird", "Wind And Snow", and "Tidal Wave." The guitar work consists of free-form chord strumming that slowly hypnotizes with swirling notes that are washed in distorted noise yet somehow feel strikingly clear. The overall effect of the album is intricately beautiful, but it could also easily put a listener to sleep. It's as if Harris were a hypnotist, repeating the lyrics quietly over and over until they blend into the oblivion created by her music. Overall, it's a beautiful piece of shoegaze noise pop that resembles notables like Beach House and My Bloody Valentine. And, for some reason, I think the album art is really, really cool.

Sun Kil Moon's April was less satisfying, though it did have some incredible tracks, such as "Lost Verses", "Unlit Hallway", and "Harper Road." Most of the rest, however, were somewhat boring and the entire album, clocking in at over an hour and ten minutes, seemed very drawn out. To me it just didn't have the same magic as Mark Kozelek's earlier SKM album, Ghosts Of The Great Highway.

The third album, Youth Novels by Lykke Li, seemed less like an album and more like a collection of singles. This is not to say that the music wasn't good, however, it just didn't have a cohesive feeling to it. The tracks themselves were pretty good pop songs from an up-and-coming female Swedish artist, but unfortunately none were that incredible. My favorites were "Dance, Dance, Dance" and "Tonight." It's fun music to listen to, but it's less satisfying than some of the other stuff out there. Some tracks remind me a lot of Santogold.

My least favorite of the bunch was Naked Acid by Valet. Maybe I'm missing something, but most of the album just didn't sound good to me. The tracks were long and very free-form, lacking any traditional melody or musical structure, which would be fine if done well but to me seemed like sort of a mess. However, a reward for 35 minutes of boredom comes in the last two tracks: the Beach House-esque "Fire" and the surprisingly electronic album-closer "Streets", the latter of which was actually quite good and, thankfully, justified my listening through the entire album.

The year is almost through, so check back for some exciting year-end lists! I hope to do one for best albums, another for good albums that didn't quite make the cut, and one for my favorite tracks. I'll also do some superlatives, like Worst Album, Best Live Act, Most Promising New Group, and Most Overrated/Underrated. I've been working hard on finishing my listening, so get excited! (Or innocuous!)