Animal Collective Post-Jam Roundup

Most of these songs have been floating around for months starting with the performances of "Walk Around," "Material Things," and "Tasty Place" at the Midi Festival (these three have been retitled "Bearhug," "House," and "Taste," respectively), and so most hardcore Collective fans will have already heard em. However, a couple of the songs have been debuted recently (the BBC tracks) and in any event, given how stellar Strawberry Jam is (end-of-year list is coming up, and it will be quite high), I thought that a 2007 not-Jam round-up was in order. Most of the tracks promise great things for the next AC record (or even the Street Flash EP due out in 2008), with some songs sounding like instant classics (my personal favorites being the shimmering "House" and the exuberant, huge-sounding "Brother Sport").



Given that the Strawberry Jam tunes originally debuted in 2005, it may be some time before the band puts these new tracks together for an actual record. They announced that recording would occur early in '08, so maybe, with how fully formed these tunes already sound, we could see AC sitting at the top of '08 end-of-year lists. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Simply put, the new live material (this particular batch mostly taken from their October Grrrnd Zero show in France) kicks ass, and the emotive quality of Avey Tare's and Panda Bear's vocals still amazes me. In addition to the Grrrnd Zero stuff and the two spankin new BBC tracks ("On a Highway" and "From a Beach"), I tossed in the positively colossal Peacebone b-side "Safer" and versions of "Street Flash," "Dancer," and "Frightened" taken from other shows. I normally am a strict albumist, ignoring typically inferior b-sides and unreleased material and content to wait for the polished renditions of fresh live songs. However, Animal Collective has officially joined the elite class of band (you know, Radiohead, and, uh, well, just Radiohead at this point) who's output is so consistently flawless that every musical move, every bit of recording must be observed in anticipation of new progressive mastery.



Anyway, this new batch of songs makes me happier than that dinosaur when AC made him amazed:



(By the way, if anyone wants the rest of the Grrrnd Zero show, just holla with a comment. Also, if anyone knows of any new AC tracks I missed, lemme know.)


Animal Collective - Daily Routine


Animal Collective - House


Animal Collective - Grace


Animal Collective - Bearhug


Animal Collective - Brother Sport


Animal Collective - Nomorerunnin


Animal Collective - Song for Ariel


Animal Collective - Dancer


Animal Collective - Taste


Animal Collective - Frightened

Tavastia, Helsinki, Finland, 2006-07-03:

Animal Collective - Street Flash

BBC session:

Animal Collective - From a Beach

Animal Collective - On a Highway


Peacebone single:

Animal Collective - Safer