Posted in 1, tagged 2009, All Tomorrows Parties, NY, NYC, panda bear on September 14, 2009| Leave a Comment »
Download the set in full:
(new, better link)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=55T616HR
Really quite jealous of those able to attend. Thanks to Collected Animals.
Live (2009, 09/11, All Tomorrows Parties, Monticello, NY) [192kbps mp3]
1. Intro / Chores
2. Guys Eyes
3. Ponytail
4. New Song 1
5. Daily Routine
6. Bros
7. #1
8. I’m Not
9. Boneless
10. New Song 2
Devin
Posted in animal collective, Devendra, Six Organs of Admittance, tagged animal collective, avey tare, ben chasny, devendra banhart, panda bear, radio sessions, Six Organs of Admittance on February 19, 2009| 5 Comments »
These sessions were recorded at KVRX in Austin, Texas. I came across them while digging through CD’s at the radio station. There are no photographs from the Six Organs or Animal Collective sessions.
This one was recorded around the time of For Octavio Paz and Untitled CDR. It’s just Ben Chasny and steel string guitar. Need I say more?
Devendra’s set was recorded in between the release of Black Babies and Rejoicing in the Hands. The tracks hearken back to the era of Golden Apples of the Sun, and include two well placed covers along with some entertaining banter.
Avey Tare and Panda Bear played this set on acoustic guitars. The sound is filled out slightly by some recorded sounds and features vocal harmonies that wander into an a cappella bit at the end.
Posted in 1, tagged atlas sound, banjo or freakout, boneless, Deerhunter, ducktails, el guincho, high places, lucky dragons, panda bear, yes please on November 14, 2008| 3 Comments »
Don’t call it a movement or it’s bound to perish, right? Well, farewell to the following because I cannot really contain myself from sharing the realization that there’s a very noticeable tide away from much of the music I gravitated towards in the past. Recently, it occurred to me that, no matter how 60’s influenced much of the music being created right now is, the big difference is that while they went electric, we’re going electronic. And refreshingly, it’s in a style that’s wholly unique. For the first time, I think I’m beginning to realize what the next step of that means, not just applicable to music, but many facets of life, technology and art — and the intermixing of them all. Taking electronic elements and making them sound ornate and natural is where we are. Because, as a good friend of mine said as I poured over his art, although containing organic elements had elements that were strikingly contemporary and artificial: “I’m not going to pretend that I don’t spend two hours online every day.”
I feel that his statement really captured the collective consciousness of those that choose to positively embrace the increasingly technological aspects of our every day life, a decision not easily made. The arrival of Animal Collective’s “Water Curses” EP and the plethora of other dare I say connected releases by other artists over the past 2 years has really highlighted that experience and realization for me. For me that was immediately proceeded by the question of, “What is being made right now that couldn’t have been made in any other decade?” A difficult question to answer and, given the nature of the music we cover on here, made it even more difficult. It then became obvious that there are artists that may not push the boundaries of innovation far; they work within their realm on a level that makes their music truly unique and lasting. However, that’s not to say that there aren’t artists who are truly crafting something that’s never been fully done before and to not acknowledge that would be downright ignorant. I suppose it all depends on if you’re in that old camp of resenting Dylan for going electric, lord knows there’s plenty of parallels to that type in our generation. Animal Collective have shed their instruments and never sounded more full as a band, the moment I realized that was when I could begin to understand what’s going on. Open yer ears and you’ll be rewarded, I certainly have been. Rather than try and fully deconstruct what it is that I think these new seemingly connected artists are doing, I’m just going to throw some of it out there at you in form of a mixtape and song/video roundup. Making electronics ornate, looping awkward melodies until they’re catchy, and reconstructing choruses to the point of sounding foreign before ultimately giving way to similar pop sensibilities that were last wandered into as well by the Beatles are only a part of where they’re taking music.
A key element for the first time is sincerity without irony. Unfortunately for the past near-decade it seems that if you wanted to be taken seriously you had better be seething with irony. The entire sincerity through a thick lens of irony construct has always troubled me. A big component of why the new folk movement seemed to stand out and as an aside from much of indie music was how visibly sincere the collective of artists are. Critics like Pitchfork Media didn’t always know what to do with it, often times evidenced by them admitting it aloud. I honestly feel that what these new artists are doing is the flip side to much of what Freak Folk/Naturalismo/NWA (Mostly Dre) has done. Whereas these new artists embrace technology in a sincere manner and combine it with a nostalgia for nature, much of the new folk movement has been escapist to a certain extent of turning its back on the realities of technological encroachment of every day life. Not that it’s a bad thing or even a necessary component to any of the artist’s music, it just is what it is. Silicon encapsulated folk. I’m forgetting how to handwrite things, filaments are becoming relics of the past, and the overly tangible aspects of life are increasingly being stripped away – a difficult thing to positively embrace but to do so is quite an achievement if you ask me.
As a side note, I’m growing increasingly frustrated with everyone casting a net over large swaths of artists and proclaiming them to be Animal Collective ripoffs, I think it’s only fair at this point to acknowledge that while they may have helped navigate the innovation of the sound, they’re not the end all be all of where it is going. Animal Collective are seemingly our generation’s Velvet Underground, not fully understood even within the same music scene of fans but pushing boundaries so far ahead of anyone else that it’s increasingly apparent that if you’re not into them now give it another 20 or 30 years and I’m sure your kids will be discovering them asking if you ever caught a show as you try and play it cool and explain that you never really understood them. It’s overwhelming to me how they’ve carved a path straight through all relevant music scenes over the past 8 years. From their early avant garde experimentations to their work with Vashti Bunyan, now losing all of their instruments and crafting some of the most wholly unique and innovative songs to ever grace these ears. It’s music that’s not always easy to fully digest upon first listen, but what truly groundbreaking artist has ever been?
I tried to select tracks from the artists that would be unfamiliar and fresh to even with those well acquainted with these artists.
Well then, take a listen and look-see:
Download:
tracklisting:
Stream/download the tracks individually:
Lucky Dragons – Wooden Cave Loop
Atlas Sound – What am I gonna do?
Ducktails – Beach Point Pleasant
Banjo or Freakout – All I need
Lucky Dragons – Dissolve Yourself
and observe (more to come):
Lucky Dragons – Morning Ritual
Animal Collective – Water Curses
El Guincho – Kalise
I also highly highly recommend, if you haven’t already, checking out the essential and incredible compilation of videos put together by Dean Spunt called “Post Present Medium: New Video Works” streaming here.
Some highlights from it:
Deerhunter – Spring Hall Convert
Edvard
Posted in 1, tagged boneless, influence, influences, noah lennox, panda bear, samples, source songs, the brazda brothers, the dovers, the tornadoes on October 14, 2008| 8 Comments »
With the release date of Animal Collective’s new album, Merriweather Post Pavilion, still a few months off the new Panda Bear 7″ “remix” of Boneless serves as a good bridge to tide your ears over. If you haven’t heard it in its full yet you can download it here.
I’m always amazed by Noah Lennox’s ear and ability for finding just the right moment of a song that isn’t necessarily instantly infectious but ultimately proves addicting after he loops it through a few times. Furthermore, the sheer obscurity of some of the songs he samples from, combined with the fact that they’re nearly always lost gems of recordings always add to the overall greatness of his songs. Here’s a few of the albums that he has sampled from recently and in the past.
On the new track Boneless Panda Bear samples the gorgeous sunny opening riff to The Brazda Brother’s 1973 Canadian psych-folk self-titled debut album. Grab the entire (long out of print, and goes for 100’s) album here:
The second album by the Dovers is one of those lost gems from the 60’s that somewhat recently had a resurgence/re-relevance as artists such as Ariel Pink covered their songs and more recently were mentioned by Noah Lennox as being one of his 5 favorite songs. It’s easy to hear why The Dovers have been welling up from the underground for the past 2 decades on and off because after listening to their music it immediately becomes clear that what they were doing was largely turning much of the samey garage R&B pop their contemporaries were doing on its ear. If anything their music was slightly ahead of its time and plays similarly today. This is an extremely hard to track down album and also out of print so I’d grab it now… the password is “garagedovers”
The Dovers – We’re not just anybody 45 round up (Link fixed)
Finally there’s the album by the formative 60’s band The Tornadoes that Panda Bear lists as an influence in the liner notes to Person Pitch. He also samples two of their songs “The Popeye Twist” and “Red Roses and a Sky of Blue” on it. Another must have with lots of early electronic experiments that paved the way for many other artists.
they also produced one of the greatest music videos to ever grace these eyes:
Edvard
Posted in 1, tagged 0, new song, noah lennox, notwist, panda bear on October 8, 2008| Leave a Comment »
Alright, I’ll admit it-I’m kind of an Animal Collective junky but the giving is good this week with the announcement of a possible upcoming album release and now a new Panda Bear “remix” of The Notwist that finds Noah Lennox singing and reworking on the track enough to make it more close to a new song of his own than a simple remix. To think he could have added an 808 to the track and called it a day…
Head over to Gorilla Vs. Bear for an excerpt of the track, I’ve got it on repeat and ordered the 7″. Seems like the perfect track to phase summer into autumn. The song itself sounds a bit like a re-worked Davy Graham song with some Hollies harmonies worked in..but mostly it just sounds like Panda Bear.
Hear an excerpt of “Boneless” by Panda bear here
Edvard
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Naturalismo has moved to KnowPhase.com 