law of falling bodies

Animal Collective, faux-crock and scent of puberty

Well before the August 14-15 shows, Brooklyn erupted with AC chatter.  The whole town buzzed with juicy rumors (is Panda bear REALLY leaving the BAND?!? rumor dispelled here and here).  People sought tickets on craigslist.  Others flaunted tickets on facebook.  Still more were eager to post about the Friday night show and gush over the VERY popular Brooklyn Band to those of us who held tickets for Saturday. 

Saturday afternoon on my way out the door, I did a quick twitter search on ANIMAL COLLECTIVE and I noted a few things: the lines were forming early and getting long, people should just say marijuana since their code words are more conspicuous, and, judging by posts on twitter, the crowd may turn out to be fuckwits.  My last suspicion came from this gem posted Saturday evening 5:24pm, and please note username: HopefulHumanist: "On line for Animal Collective... Totally cut like half the line ^_^"  That's with a hand crafted emoticon.  Way to go, Hopeful Humanist.

Prospect Park shows are generally free or REALLY affordable.  For example, the big summer-opener at the Bandshell this year was David Byrne  Free.  Animal Collective?  $30.  I balked. (THIRTY?!? It's Prospect PARK, you assholes - even David Byrne played here free.  Don't you LIVE in Brooklyn?)    I did a little research and see the MGMT charged $30 dollars, too.  Fine.  Animal Collective DID do one nice neighborhoody thing- AC band members DJed an afterparty at the Bellhouse with free admission to ticket stub holders, but I'm guessing most had to be home before bedtime.

I walked up to the park. While the rest of the world suffered the blight of August at 100 degrees, the happy fans (aww, that IS baby fat,) appeared entirely unaffected.  They poured out in a stream from the F train staircase and giggled their way to the Park Entrance immune to the wet heat by what I gathered to be a pleasant intoxication.   AC fans are happy people, I though to myself (again, aww).  That got ugly later in the evening when a good portion of the youngsters misjudged the amount of things they can manage in one night of play.

Enjoying a dizzying peak of indy cred and local fame, the musicians of Animal Collective, Avey Tare (David Portner), Panda Bear (Noah Lennox, and also, I don't know about you, but I kinda wanna punch this guy for that nickname), Deakin (Josh Dibb) and Geologist (Brian Weitz) put on a show that, judging by the crowd's reaction, delighted and delivered.  Wheeling a giant shark to the stage sparked a firestorm of cheers and applause in a hazey smog of dope smoke, axe for men and puberty.   Fans swooned to the endless output of sound.  During the Saturday night performance Ryan from Indy Giant PitchforkMedia, tweeted "Encore blowing minds.  Just played Comfy in Nautica. Best band EVAR?" 

I don't know Ryan, I don't know.  If by EVAR you mean not in my reality, then yes.  They suck.  They have a parking lot full of soft drugs and fourteen year olds, and since the Dead and Phish don't tour regularly, they'll be propped up until the next noodling swath of endless sound gush that passes for music usurps their narcotic ticket sales foundation.

This chestnut I pulled from the comments section on Brooklynvegan sums it up:
What's fifty-feet long with no pubes?
The front row at an Animal Collective show.
Posted by Regular reader | August 16, 2009 12:55 PM
http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2009/08/animal_collecti_23.html

Zora in her pretty hat

My sister posted a shot from this car ride.  Now, by popular demand: Zora in her pretty hat, the VIDEO

Rebecca Benedict posted a new animation short: Bethany Pritchard Hits Puberty

I HATE IT!!! Oh, oh wait, no- it's actually my favorite album.

If Chris says I'll like a band, I end up obsessing over them, listening to the album or a particular song over and over for up to weeks at a time, and it will become one of my favorite things.  Not before I dismiss them entirely, however.  Chris will say: "Hey baby - you'd really like so and so here" and pass me the headphones to the computer.  My response is usually like "It's annoying." or "I can't stand that guy's voice." or "It's boring."  Then, something magical happens.  Whatever backwards shitty snarl I have in my mind unwinds and dissipates, and I listen to the music again.  And, JEEZ, fuck, oh WEIRD- Chris was totally right.  And then I fucking obsess over this newly introduced music and put my Ipod on repeat for that band at the painting studio for about a month. 

It's gotta be so incredibly frustrating for Chris.  This happens once every couple of weeks.  We always collect music.  Nine years to take note of his recommendations and I still haven't been able to take pause to forestall my immediate dismissal by considering the probability that I am broken in some way here.  EVERY BAND or composer or whatever thing the recording is, like the freakish recordings of WWII Numbers Stations, I will take a quick listen and I will claim I do not like it.  Sadly, I can't think of a time he steered me wrong.  I end up liking it.   I not only end up liking it, I take up the mantel like a sick zealot.  I'm so fucking annoying. 

A few months back, Chris HAD to download Pet Sounds.  I was surprised that he'd want a Beach Boys album.   I hated them.  He advised me to give it a listen.  no WAY! I responded.  I continued on it forEVER, refusing to believe I'd like ANY Beach Boys, but also refusing to listen to it.   Months.  I lumped them in with the Eagles. 

But I'm converted.  Again.  

I've been obsessed with Okkerville River.  Chris downloaded an album of theirs recently, and, in line with my music dyslexia, I said I didn't like it at all.  I listen to it all the time now.  They did a song integrating John B Sails from Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys, and that led me to re-listen to them.  I might be the last person to notice that Pet Sounds great album, and the Beach Boys are a great band.

Here's a stripped down version of John B from the Beach Boys- It's eerie and beautiful:

Mud Siren, Io, White Goddess

mudsiren, originally uploaded by ekbuckley.

I gave this one to Rebecca Rounds and Aaron Benedict for their wedding. I used to called her Io, sometimes White Goddess.

It's Christmas!!! Terry Gilliam, Tom Waits, Johnny Depp: The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus