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April 15, 2005

silentists and brisk sign language

Animal Collective - Live at Lee's Palace 11/11/04 - Banshee (Swimming Pool)

When I saw Animal Collective play this past November in Philadelphia (nine days after the show at Lee's Palace), I was completely blown away by their performance- the energy, the songs, and the dynamic they had with the crowd was just staggering. Going into the show, I had no idea what to expect. I had read that they liked to play ahead of their albums, but since Sung Tongs was so popular, I figured that they'd almost have to dedicate at least part of their set to playing songs off that record (only one, it turned out- 'Kids on Holiday'). Avey Tare and Deakin started playing first, two guitars playing two different intervals that held steady for the first 3 or 4 minutes. Deakin bent over his guitar, swaying slightly, while Avey Tare rocked his head back and forth on his shoulders. Panda Bear and Geologist negotiated a wooden-sounding, slapping beat. Then, out of the blue, Avey Tare sings in a high, inquisitive voice, "Will there be time/to get by/or get dry/after the swimming pool", and a few quick, fluttery notes speed up and get pulled along with this phrase, like a ribbon attached to a kite.

'Banshee(that may or may not be the title)/Swimming Pool' takes a huge leap though at the 3:55 mark, when the beat stabilizes, and Deakin and Avey Tare take the groove that they've built and start adding on to it, making it more urgent and (even more) devastatingly gorgeous. When I heard this for the first time, it was overwhelming. I don't know what it is, but this song creates the kind of all-consuming joy that I had previously only associated with your standard upper-level Maslow-need-fulfillment. 'Banshee' is like your car breaking down on the side of a deserted road in the summertime, where you're forced to walk (wander) through the surrounding countryside, and end up stumbling blindly upon a huge, breezy block party, filled with impossibly hospitable neighbors; it's the deep and tidal sense of relief that you'd experience. If 'Banshee' ends up on their new album, I can't even imagine how good it'll sound.

I feel like I'm articulating this badly (not surprising), so listen to the song and you'll see what I mean, hopefully (the file is sort of quiet, so you'll have to play it pretty loudly). You can actually listen to the rest of concert that this song was taken from, courtesy of CBC Radio 3. You can buy any of Animal Collective's releases here, or just anticipate the "Prospect Hummer" EP that comes out in a few weeks (and then Jane's "Berserker" in June). If you can get out to see Animal Collective live on any of the upcoming tour dates, I would recommend it, as they are not to be missed.

Posted by matt at April 15, 2005 08:00 AM

Comments

Posted by: Ryan at April 15, 2005 04:21 PM

Posted by: Sean at April 18, 2005 12:50 AM