animal collective

Message Bookmarked
Bookmark Removed
Not all messages are displayed: show all messages (807 of them)
black dice would have been better with visuals last night. I did like them though. animal collective I did not (much); everything I did like about them I get out of listening to trout mask replica or something at home.

kyle (akmonday), Thursday, 26 August 2004 18:36 (nineteen years ago) link

"...almost entirely because they're so coherently-crafted..."

this is true (about most everything they've done) but what i'm beginning to realize is that not everyone can discern this. obv some effort is required i suppose, but some people are in the swing of looking for at least new-seeming twists in music, having unearthed a lot already, so it's not "effort" exactly. it's a seeking out of surprise on one hand, but also an ability to recognize when an actual surprise has reared up.
others who aren't so inclined generally just refute this whole premise outright, see it as off-putting pathology etc. but usually they have little else but cute scoffing exercises to run through and tend to like to leave it at that. gold-medal cutesy types you know them. i want to feel transported, not inducted into an unserious pavilion of snark, personally.

duke abscond, Friday, 27 August 2004 00:41 (nineteen years ago) link

b-b-b-but they don't jam!

Right, well, hence the "for people who hate Phish" qualifier. Their noodliness is of a more intellectual sort. They're conceptually noodly.

spittle (spittle), Friday, 27 August 2004 01:39 (nineteen years ago) link

See, I'm not sure how anyone could listen to e.g. "Leaf House" (which, as always, is the track I'm thinking of) and not hear it as pretty much as structurally coherent as the average pop song: its parts all lock together in a seriously "composed" way, and the way that they move from one to the other is probably even more deliberately crafted than the average chart track. Which is a feeling that, for me, seems to follow through most of that record, apart from a couple specific "mood" tracks that were likely more loosely constructed. I've actually spent time wondering how their writing process for this record might have worked -- the sound would seem to imply that it was sort of pieced up from nothing, with no particular outcome in mind, parts added where they fit and etc. -- but there's just too much stuff in there that belies that particular framework.

nabisothingy, Friday, 27 August 2004 01:51 (nineteen years ago) link

black dice would have been better with visuals last night.

you should think twice before you say something like this. last night's show had a mostly lit loft with a few colored lights and a chandelier above the bands. the fucking dumbshit dj thought he'd be cute (i think he actually thought he was doing a good job) by flicking the lights on and off. it wasn't ever even in rhythm or during exciting moments.

JaXoN (JasonD), Friday, 27 August 2004 16:13 (nineteen years ago) link

Some songs have "parts", others don't (or their parts are less obvious). "Leaf House" (and "Who Could Win A Rabbit") are "songs" in the only sense anyone really cares about: they have clear melodies, are structured in a logical way (w/A sections and B sections and so forth) and are sung. There is nothing "jam band" about them. Nor is there anything very "jam band" about, say, the last three songs on the record, because I don't consider meandering strumming with equally meandering vocals to be "jamming". I consider it meandering - and I hardly mean that in a negative sense. Jam bands stretch ideas out, use variations, come together to a climax. There seems to be much more sitting and staring during the looser moments of Sung Tongs; contemplating, worshipping, leaving out the direction that's always implied in a jam.

dleone (dleone), Friday, 27 August 2004 16:25 (nineteen years ago) link

Was anyone at either of the L.A. shows this weekend? I caught the Knitting Factory show, which was very nice. Black Dice could have played longer. They were all out of Wastered 12"s, sadly. I thought it was mildly underattended. Lots of people left after A.C. finished.

Softly Weeping at the Oki Dog (Ben Boyer), Monday, 30 August 2004 15:17 (nineteen years ago) link

hi people, what is the name of the song with the lyric:

"self doubt, i'll doubt i'll find a swimming pool"... or something similar?

gygax! (gygax!), Monday, 30 August 2004 15:20 (nineteen years ago) link

Ben, I was at both shows. The Echo was packed. It seemed like there might've been more people there, than at the Knitting Factory, but it could've been the same amount just in two differently sized venues.

They had copies of Wastered at the Echo and then sold out. 50% of the audience left after AC played, at the Echo, as well.

Also, if you thought that the show was underattended, you should've been at the Acid Mothers Temple. There were at most 25 people there.

dean? (deangulberry), Monday, 30 August 2004 15:44 (nineteen years ago) link

I saw the Bowery show and I do think Animal Collective could appeal to people into the jam band scene. No, that doesn't mean I think they're a jam band, but there were certain qualities in the performance that jam fans would appreciate.

And why are people leaving before Black Dice play? I thought they were better than AC that night.

Jeff Sumner (Jeff Sumner), Monday, 30 August 2004 15:53 (nineteen years ago) link

Well, at the Echo they had equipment troubles.

But even more than that, I don't feel like seeing them live adds anything to the music. You've got one guy looking nervous and afraid, another playing guitar but hidden by his effects case and a third guy sort of dancing in place and twiddling knobs. Basically, the only interaction is when Bjorn cocks his head to the side and mouths something to the other guys.

dean? (deangulberry), Monday, 30 August 2004 16:05 (nineteen years ago) link

Animal Collective definitely goes for - and achieves - more of a connection with the audience. They played a clear cut set, with nice regular guy banter in between songs (the singer kept seeming genuinely shocked by all the applause in between songs, saying "jeez, thanks - it's sweet to play here!"). Black Dice are more intense -- no breaks during the set, bursts of noise, no acknowledgement of the crowd. It's just a different thing altogether.
Did you get a Wastered 12", Dean? I am dying to hear that thing! Was Acid Mother's Temple at the Echo too?

Softly Weeping at the Oki Dog (Ben Boyer), Monday, 30 August 2004 16:16 (nineteen years ago) link

Yeah, I picked up a couple up on Saturday. In fact, the merch guy seemingly gave me a bit of attitude when I asked to buy two copies.

AMT was at Spaceland one night and KF the next. The KF show was awesome because no one was there, but the a/c was out and it was HOT AS FUCK. They were selling $1 Rolling Rocks to make up for it.

dean? (deangulberry), Monday, 30 August 2004 16:21 (nineteen years ago) link

I do not go see Black Dice live in order to witness a performance or music theater. For me, I do not care if they acknowledge their audience and if I was living in '73 then I would not fault Tangerine Dream for not interacting with the crowd, too.

I go see BD because their music in the live setting is so much more visceral, huge and physical than when I play their records in my home. I find recorded-BD and live-BD as two related but vastly difference perspectives of the same band like two wildly different photographs of the same person.

Justin Farrar (Justin Farrar), Monday, 30 August 2004 16:30 (nineteen years ago) link

Good for you. But Pitchfork doesn't tell LA hipsters to expect that, so they don't stick around ;D

dean? (deangulberry), Monday, 30 August 2004 16:31 (nineteen years ago) link

Are you calling yourself an "L.A. hipster" because you were the one who I thought expressed dissappointment in BD's lack of interaction with the crowd? I'm confused...

Justin Farrar (Justin Farrar), Monday, 30 August 2004 16:43 (nineteen years ago) link

No, I said that I don't feel like seeing them live adds anything to the music. I enjoyed it in spite of that. I'm also saying that the lack of audience participation is probably why so many people left. Also, the Echo show was delayed, so that may have had something to do with it as well.

dean? (deangulberry), Monday, 30 August 2004 16:48 (nineteen years ago) link

After seeing them 2x on this tour, I began to wonder just how much of Black Dice's set is canned?

gygax! (gygax!), Monday, 30 August 2004 16:52 (nineteen years ago) link

Does "canned" mean pre-recorded or something like that?

Justin Farrar (Justin Farrar), Monday, 30 August 2004 16:56 (nineteen years ago) link

Gygax, you can't plan that kind of equipment failure.

dean? (deangulberry), Monday, 30 August 2004 17:07 (nineteen years ago) link

"canned" means bjorn loading in 3 minidiscs into his sampler/equipment about 5 minutes before "showtime".

gygax! (gygax!), Monday, 30 August 2004 17:09 (nineteen years ago) link

It definitely seems that way, judging from the two nights that I saw them. It baffles me even more then that they'd cut Hisham and the drums out of the band completely when that brought some kinetic energy to their set. If they were going to focus on playing galleries and such, then I could see that decision being a lot easier, but you've got to figure that doing a tour sans drummer would be rough. I'm sure they did though and don't care.

dean? (deangulberry), Monday, 30 August 2004 17:19 (nineteen years ago) link

"I do not go see Black Dice live in order to witness a performance"
?!?!?! You just go for the $6 beers, and if they happen to decide to hold one on the night you bought a ticket for, it's a nice bonus?
I wasn't upset with Black Dice's lack of interaction; I was just noting it... I thought they were pretty fantastic. It was my first time seeing them post-drummer (and on the West Coast).

Softly Weeping at the Oki Dog (Ben Boyer), Monday, 30 August 2004 19:21 (nineteen years ago) link

>I began to wonder just how much of Black Dice's set is canned?

I would personally say: a great deal.

(Jon L), Monday, 30 August 2004 20:08 (nineteen years ago) link

:(

adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 30 August 2004 20:11 (nineteen years ago) link

me too

I have Panda Bear's first album - Wifey thinks parts of it sound like Amnesiac-era Radiohead and, though I'd never have drawn that conclusion myself, that seems kinda accurate. It's not too good, in retrospect.

The song "Fire" from it is pretty decent.

it isn't slskable?

roger adultery (roger adultery), Monday, 30 August 2004 20:16 (nineteen years ago) link

haha, milton! i knew you'd know.

it would be great if there was more of an equipment failure in BD's sets and they'd have to revert back to SEMEN OF THE SUN.

gygax! (gygax!), Monday, 30 August 2004 20:28 (nineteen years ago) link

they should incorporate inevitable equip. failure into their show. make it like theatre. i could use sparks and pyro, also.

dean? (deangulberry), Monday, 30 August 2004 20:36 (nineteen years ago) link

They should become Fisherspooner is what I'm saying.

dean? (deangulberry), Monday, 30 August 2004 20:37 (nineteen years ago) link

They can aim higher than that.

Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 30 August 2004 20:37 (nineteen years ago) link

Like the Associates or something.

Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 30 August 2004 20:37 (nineteen years ago) link

I didn't notice any mistakes! :*

adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 30 August 2004 20:39 (nineteen years ago) link

do they still try to start fights and throw bottles?

jess (dubplatestyle), Monday, 30 August 2004 20:39 (nineteen years ago) link

Softly Weeping at the Oki Dog-

Why the sarcasm?
Why edit my quote to change its meaning?
Why jump on me when my point was in contrast to Dean?'s very valid take on BD live (which I am not saying is wrong in any way just diff. than mine.)

The full sentence that I originally wrote was
"I do not go see Black Dice live in order to witness a performance OR MUSIC THEATER."

Maybe I am not making my point. What I am saying is I do not experience Black Dive live like I would, say the Stooges or any other group that performs in the words purest sense like Frank Sinatra or Bowie or Liza or whomever. They move; they dance, they are personalities and their performances work as a form of theater, too. I would not expect this from BD. Half the time my eyes are closed and/or they are not in my field of vision. But, I love their sound via huge fucking PA's.

Does this make sense? Or, is my point still so totally foriegn that the only response possible is sarcasm? I hope not.

Justin Farrar (Justin Farrar), Monday, 30 August 2004 20:42 (nineteen years ago) link

Anybody catch Ariel Pink's set at the Echo?

sexyDancer, Monday, 30 August 2004 20:42 (nineteen years ago) link

No, Justin, you're right -- the sarcasm was uncalled for (and was more in response to the phrasing than the sentiment). And I wasn't being totally honest when I said I was simply "noting" that Black Dice don't offer up any interaction. I do find it to be a little too... expected maybe? Predictable? I mean, I find a lot of elements of the noise/avant scene to be so elitist and standoffish, and I felt like the Black Dice show was a bit of a bummer since it almost encouraged this sort of vibe. (again, whereas Animal Collective seemed genuinely appreciative and cool). Of course, this response to Black Dice is more of a kneejerk thing at this point -- I know the band's vibe and know what to expect, having seen them before at a couple different points in their existance -- and it's really even irrelevant, since I thoroughly enjoy their albums and the live show!
So, yeah, I was distilling your comment into a prejudiced caricature of a Black Dice fan -- so hardcore that he doesn't go to the show to see a performance -- he goes for the pure, uncut, cooler-than-thou VIBE! Which was unfair of me.

And just as a helpful tip to you: At this point in a thread, Jon Williams usually steps in here to say "Shut up, Ben, what do you know? You like Dave Matthews" and it gets me to shut up, since he's right.

Softly Weeping at the Oki Dog (Ben Boyer), Monday, 30 August 2004 21:01 (nineteen years ago) link

That's cool. BTW- I am not very hip or cool. I simply morph into a total stoner whenever I go see Animal Collective and Black Dice. Sad but true. :)
^is this still an acceptable symbol to use in '04?

Justin Farrar (Justin Farrar), Monday, 30 August 2004 21:17 (nineteen years ago) link

Anybody catch Ariel Pink's set at the Echo?

Yes ... unfortunately.

dean? (deangulberry), Monday, 30 August 2004 21:40 (nineteen years ago) link

And I say that mainly because I wanted to show up at 10:30, figuring that I would miss Ariel Pink, esp. since the venue listed AC as going on at 10:30. Still, Ariel Pink when on at around 10:35. I'm just thankful that I don't still fall for showing up at whatever time is listed on the ticket.

dean? (deangulberry), Monday, 30 August 2004 21:41 (nineteen years ago) link

Doesn't Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti have something out on Paw Tracks? What does it/he/they sound like?

Softly Weeping at the Oki Dog (Ben Boyer), Monday, 30 August 2004 21:42 (nineteen years ago) link

His music sounded like something that I might enjoy very much on album but not live, at least, not at the Echo that night. It sounded like spooky pop? Like you were hearing these odd pop songs through an AM radio.

I was mostly bothered by him constantly shouting demands to the soundboard - turn off the delay, more vocals in the monitor, less delay, ok i want the delay back - and his seeming lack of interest in just performing. It wasn't like these were highly crafted songs, so they didn't seem to need all of the fuss that was being made over them.

dean? (deangulberry), Monday, 30 August 2004 21:46 (nineteen years ago) link

beyond description home recording one man band who balances do-anything pop genius with methamphetamine jumble. His pevious releases "House Arrest" and "Worn Copy" are instant classics. I always play these for late night hangers on and impress them without exception. I can't imagine how he would manage a live show, but maybe he can't(?)

sexyDancer, Monday, 30 August 2004 21:48 (nineteen years ago) link

I got the impression that he hadn't performed a lot. His reaction to things seemed to indicate that.

dean? (deangulberry), Monday, 30 August 2004 21:50 (nineteen years ago) link

xpost
or maybe these people aren't to be listened to? eh, sexy?

duke dance, Monday, 30 August 2004 21:50 (nineteen years ago) link

I'm still interested in hearing the album though, fwiw.

dean? (deangulberry), Monday, 30 August 2004 21:50 (nineteen years ago) link

"pevious" should be "pervious"

sexyDancer, Monday, 30 August 2004 21:51 (nineteen years ago) link

I mean, "totally fucking perverted."

sexyDancer, Monday, 30 August 2004 21:57 (nineteen years ago) link

yr projectin' now

duke overhead, Monday, 30 August 2004 21:59 (nineteen years ago) link

I have to say, his website is completely genius (and also really sweet): http://www.arielpink.com/pages/1/index.htm

I am suddenly deeply curious to hear this. What about "The Doldrums," Sexy? That seems to be the easiest to find...

Softly Weeping at the Oki Dog (Ben Boyer), Monday, 30 August 2004 22:29 (nineteen years ago) link

nope it ain't out yet. house arrest/lover boy on cdbaby.com?
we've got 'worn copy,' or also rhystop's site...

duke pink, Monday, 30 August 2004 22:39 (nineteen years ago) link


You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.