All The Pieces Where They Ought To Be by Mary Dominguez

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“i hope it was worth it.”

About six years ago, I began to wish that life were more like a painting. I heard Animal Collective’s Strawberry Jam in for the first time 2010 and felt an urge to create so intense that it wouldn’t have been enough for me to paint the town red. And despite trying to convince my closest circle of weirdo friends about my new soundtrack of choice, no one seemed nearly as thrilled. But I saw the value in Animal Collective’s sound— total immersion in what feels like a new galaxy, complete with made-up languages and songs ranging from a drone-dancey to folk-freak. I learned quickly that no two AC albums sound quite alike. Instead, each album acts as documentation of new experiences and changes in perspective, which is more than anything I was hearing from any other contemporary band at the time. So, as a teenager with a social circle limited to the Pennsylvanian suburbs, listening to Animal Collective became a mostly private ritual, because it proved to be more rewarding alone than with the horrified faces of people who would have preferred to listen to nails on a chalkboard. Alone, I could get completely immersed in sound and making art, feeling content with the way lines of shiny globs of acrylic paint swirled from underneath my paint brush and onto a blank canvas. I’d start with an idea about what I wanted to paint, turn on Animal Collective and, after painting through the highs and lows of each song, end up with something completely different than what I’d imagined. I began seeing similar patterns in life— Animal Collective was the first band to really appeal to me as music that could heal. It was never short of extreme emotion— I could feel fields of wildflowers blooming in my brain during their most euphoric

moments of Feels. I’ve felt my stomach sinking to the swamplands and back out again listening to Avey Tare’s Down There and through the most delirious moments of Strawberry Jam. But for a while, the only thing I was capable of spreading these feelings to were on the back pages and the margins of old class notebooks, where they’d remain mostly repressed. Immediately after my first Animal Collective show, I typed up in a Microsoft Word document that I’d found the people who made me “FEEL FEELINGS,” which was my first attempt to write a a review of a concert ever. Over the next few years, I brushed up on my writing skills, started working as a journalist, made pilgrimages to New York, Baltimore, and Tennessee and became a thrillseeker for AC’s sound. I also found out about Collected Animals, an old school forum of Animal Collective superfans, like myself, who also turned to the internet to fulfill their obsessions with the band, sharing music and making art. I never would have figured that something I felt so alone in would connect me to the entire world. In 2015, I sought out an assignment covering a a festival that Panda Bear was playing at in Miami, 1200 miles away from home. By that time, it felt natural to travel alone and far from home to see any member of Animal Collective play. In Miami I used my press badge to sneak backstage at Panda Bear’s show. I watched the stage from the right wing, trying to hide my superfan freakout, pacing around the backstage and not being able to sit still while mood swinging between panic and bliss from the people who’ve been there a million times. I used my professionallooking DSLR to guise as someone important and ask Panda Bear if I could take portrait. I prepared for this moment earlier by stuffing a backpack with my camera equipment and about two handfuls of miniature plastic panda bears and fake flowers from the craft store. But I could have prepared myself more emotionally. When I got around to asking Panda Bear for a portrait, there were mini plastic pandas and fake flowers pouring from my hands, to Panda Bear’s hands, to the depths of the black backstage floor. At the same time I spilled my heart out to him, rushing the conversation and realizing that there’s no gracious way to tell your heroes how much they mean to you.

Panda Bear looked similar to a wet mop in an Oddsac t-shirt— hair matted to his face from sweat, eyes heavy from stretches of traveling around the world and probably pot smoke. He wouldn’t tell me the name of the tenth Animal Collective album. He didn’t seem to mind that I was frenzied in trying to get his best angle, shining an LED flashlight in his face in lieu of my camera’s speedlight that died an hour earlier. When he asked me what the photo was for, I spit out that I was sort of on assignment— no, wait, I couldn’t lie— I was a fangirl living out her dream, on a mission to seek out as many Animal Collective-related shows as I could manage. This was at least my sixth. His eyes opened wide. “Thank you. I hope it was worth it,” he said. Maybe I didn’t do it justice. After I picked up all of my fallen panda figurines and flowers, I left a plastic panda figurine on Panda Bear’s equipment table. I exited the backstage, grateful to be in one piece and secretly hoping I would never be too jaded to meet my heroes. If only life could always be that stupidly thrilling. I put an open invitation to the users for this project on Collected Animals. Like any good fandom, it has its share of people who would not mind spending the rest of their foreseeable lives following strings of AC tours on a bus, living communally, and as if it were deemed perfectly acceptable to do so by society. My idea was to make collaborative art with the people whose brains felt most similar to mine: paint-mashing-wanderers without much set in stone other than the fact that the number people in our real lives who were willing to tolerate Animal Collective was few. I asked for drawings, newspaper clippings and letters to be sent from where they lived, along with interview questions about being Animal Collective superfans. I trimmed and collaged the drawings and letters into their portraits, defying anything I could have imagined when Animal Collective first gave me the inclination to create. I pieced together paper faces of people I recognized from miles away in Sweden, California and Maryland, realizing that nothing has ever given me as much purpose before. Realistically, the portraits have as little permanence as the washable glue that holds the collaged pieces of paper together. But we’ve already accepted our fate as Animal Collective superfans, where our true colors show most vividly.

Lauren 22, Daphne, Ala.

When did you first find out about AC, and what was your first impression? Do you remember where you were/what you were doing when you first heard them? LD: i first discovered animal collective in february of 2009. i was pretty sad at the time, i felt like most people were jerks, honestly. i also was very sad because it had been a long time since id heard a song that i genuinely enjoyed. i remember being alone at 3am, turning my PSP on (at the time, my only device with internet access), opening the radio application, and tuning in to “minnesota public radio: the current”. i dont know why that station was available, as i am nowhere near minnesota. i never used the radio application before this night. i casually sat on my floor, earbuds in, and i heard “I point in the windows, you point out the parks,” i kept listening… and my happiness increased with each second of the song, it was so sweet– and strange. very odd. once it was over, i hopped up off the floor, quietly powerwalked to the family’s desktop computer (i never used this thing!), and frantically googled “how to get youtube song on ipod”. i learned how, had a poor quality version of summertime clothes on my ipod, and listened over and over. i fell in love with that song. What is it about AC’s music and vibe that caused you to connect with them so intensely? LD: a combination of emotional honesty, open oddness, their ability to surprise me, and their occasional very pretty harmonizing. (i suppose that was more prevalent in the merriweather post pavilion days)

What is your favorite AC album and why? What is your favorite AC song and why? LD: hmm… it fluctuates. usually, its sung tongs or feels, but sometimes strawberry jam and merriweather post pavilion take that cake. i think for those 4, the combination of pop melodies and sensitivity in the lyrical content appeal to me in a way that feels very personal. favourite animal collective song is a tie between summertime clothes (reasoning: check first answer) and banshee beat. banshee beat is a very relatable song if youve ever had conflict/ miscommunicated issues with a loved one, it also sounds great. What’s the nerdiest/most dedicated thing you’ve done as an AC superfan? Are there any other bands/interests that are comparably important to you? LD: the nerdiest thing ive ever done as an animal collective superfan– outside of being an admin for their forum–is when i was 16/17, i had covered my old bedroom’s walls entirely in animal collective lyrics. every inch was taken up. this wasnt a small room. i dont think any other bands have come close to affecting my life to as large a degree as animal collective have, and none of my interests have, either. i can confidently say that a large part of my personality that i have now as an adult is due to discovering their music and subsequently joining the collected animals forum. Have you met anyone from the board IRL? If so, what was your experience like? If not, would you and what would your expectations be? LD: i have not, and i happily would. my expectations would be the same as they are when i skype y’all. except, i would probably expect a hug or two, maybe some platonic friend cheek smooches. i trust and like yall a lot.

Marek 24, Ocean City, Md.

When did you first find out about AC, and what was your first impression? Do you remember where you were/what you were doing when you first heard them? MA: I was given Feels by my first “girlfriend” in the spring of 9th grade, making me 14 in 2005. I remember that the more mellow and nebulous tracks made a bigger impression on me at the time than the more rollicking cuts, meaning I first preferred stuff like Flesh Canoe and Bees to Grass and The Purple Bottle. of course I was as immediately enchanted by both Banshee Beat and Did You See The Words as most everyone seems to be. For whatever reason, my experience with the record and the group altogether was pretty short lived at the time. I hadn’t really made the associations I do now with them then, everything they represent for me when it comes to creative idealism and this special brand of “everyday psychedelia.” I didn’t really dive in until a few years later, incidentally getting into Person Pitch the same month Merriweather had come out without realizing it. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t have at least a little bit to do with all the Beach Boys comparisons, as my then-recent discovery of their music had totally rewired the way I understood how a record came together, thinking not only about the musical nuances but how found-sound, unusual textures and all kinds of studio bells-and-whistles figured into music that leaned towards pop. That understanding acted as a skeleton key to everything, making deceptively simple radio hits seem more interesting and making music that had seemed previously impenetrable feel less so. Needless to say, this was the perfect time to try and wrap my head around Animal Collective. What is it about AC’s music and vibe that caused you to connect with them so intensely? MA:To me, porous edges have always been the defining characteristic of psychedelic music. The bleeding and blending of different borders, not just in terms of styles and traditions but the sounds themselves. I can’t think of any other musical artist who fulfills that ideal more completely or uniquely than AC. But I think the reason that I connected so intensely with them at first is because even with their globetrotting sound and how amazingly they subsume all these different ways of playing music, they also manage to give Maryland a sonic identity. Though it’s most pronounced on Campfire Songs, Feels and impressions of “firefly lit trees” on No More Runnin, I can sense in all of their work an understanding of nature and a worldview that was no doubt shaped by such verdant surroundings, where even the city has its fair share of overhanging green. I’ve loved a lot of enchanting music but none other where I had such an intimate connection to the places that inspired it. I also just love how they’ve made this music that’s a reflection of their own unique friendships and experiences and yet they’ve left it very open to interpretation by not leaning on concrete lyrical details or meanings. It allows you to feel how personal it is to them while also allowing you to find some of yourself in it (or anything, really.)

What is your favorite AC album and why? What is your favorite AC song and why? MA: Almost four years on, Centipede Hz is still my favorite album. It makes that old notion of the “record as a journey” scan better than ever and also probably uses found-sound more intriguingly and confidently than before; that to me seems like two ideals for a group like this, the kind of qualities they’ve always seemed to have a sort of zeal for and that you as a listener expect to hear peak and even refined somewhere along the way. I don’t believe I’m the only one who thinks that they’ve done that with CHz. And the songs! While other records were fairly minimal and excelled at making small moves sound huge, these songs had parts galore, in terms of chord changes and song structure. Some would say they moved more conventionally but these are not everyday chord progressions or rhythms. Still, they all feel like proper songs with tension and unpredictability, where any crazy textures or dynamic shifts aren’t explored at the expense of straight up musicality. For some dudes that insist they “don’t have chops”, Animal Collective might be the best “non-musician musicians” I’ve ever heard. That said, there’s no denying the finesse in Centipede Hz, the sheer kinetic energy that the band has always thrived on and wield expertly throughout its running time. Between all that, their musical identities feeling more distinct than ever and maybe their most epic live era ever, it felt almost too easy to call. It’s our favorite terranauts finally loading into a rocket of their own, taking their version of the trip that all their space rock ancestors had taken. Considering their skills, background and backlog, this is where they made the record I’d always knew and hoped they could. Now, I’m honestly not sure I could tell you what my favorite Animal Collective song is. What Would I Want? Sky, Pulleys, Taste, Cuckoo Cuckoo, Vertical, La Rapet, Flesh Canoe, Doggy, just to name a few…I cant pick just one. many of the topics and writing in these songs are refreshingly out-of-the-box ruminations on life, time, space and other metaphysics, continuing in that wonderful tradition of finding trippyness in the everyday. What’s the nerdiest/most dedicated thing you’ve done as an AC superfan? Are there any other bands/interests that are comparably important to you? MA: I don’t think I’ve done anything particularly nerdy but there are definitely things that being a fan of theirs has inspired. I wouldn’t own an SP404 or a pair of Keep Guerra Tides if not for them. I sometimes unconsciously mimic the swivel and sway of Dave’s head when playing music, also those strange little yelps and grunts they make between songs in concert. I did once draw a sketch of Dave in a suit with a crocodile head traveling on a glass bottom boat…then again, all of this stuff could probably be construed as nerdy, at least a little haha. No, no other bands comparably interest me. There are certainly other artists for whom their overall example is more important to me than any one song or record of theirs and there are of course many artists that have inspired my own music…but AC has shown me better than anyone how to bring it all together. no one else’s approach or perspective on what it can all be has influenced me more. Have you met anyone from the board IRL? If so, what was your experience like? If not, would you and what would your expectations be? MA: Unfortunately I haven’t met anyone from the board yet but I would love to if given the chance. It’s hard to say what to expect but one thing that’s always been interesting about CA is seeing how Animal Collective fandom acts as a unifying thread between such a

Kari 24, Baltimore, Md.

When did you first find out about AC, and what was your first impression? Do you remember where you were/what you were doing when you first heard them? KW: I first heard of them in 2005, in my first year of high school. It was through one of my close friends, Kaleigh. I had always been pretty stubborn and resistant to new things, so naturally I listened to 2 seconds of a song and claimed to hate them. Kaleigh would keep trying to trick me into listening to them, and when I asked who was playing, she’d say “HAH! IT’S ANIMAL COLLECTIVE!” and I’d give her a dirty look. When I finally listened to Purple Bottle, I decided that actually they were pretty good, but wasn’t the type to buy albums so I didn’t get far in. Eventually, though, she made me a series of mix CDs. On one of the CDs were the songs For Reverend Green, Grass, The Purple Bottle, and Derek. That’s when I basically fell head over heels in love. I swear I listened to FRG every morning for months before I went to school. Still those songs give me chills and lots of memories of being my younger self. I was a casual but loving fan in that way up until the Slasher Flicks era, then I saw them live for the first time and lost my mind, listened to all their past albums, side projects, etc, and became pretty obsessed with everything they ever did. It was a beautiful honeymoon. What is it about AC’s music and vibe that caused you to connect with them so intensely? KW: Their music was nothing like I’d ever heard before. I was for a long time immersed in whatever was popular on the radio, indie music that I enjoyed but didn’t feel much for. When I started getting into AC, I was starting also to really fall in love with artists like Iron and Wine and Devendra Banhart. I feel a natural pull toward soft instrumentals and folk, anything that conjures emotion and natural imagery. Listening to songs from Feels and Strawberry Jam coaxed me into exploring music with deeper meaning and subtle messages, and layed out the foundation for my obsession. As their discography expanded, they never seemed to lose their touch for unearthing feelings that pop music fails to acknowledge, feelings not just expressed through their cryptic lyrics but also through their samples and the soundscapes they create. It is music on another level, being both a painting of their lives, and a canvas for your own. They’re unforgettable. What is your favorite AC album and why? What is your favorite AC song and why? KW: This is a difficult question and you know it, Mary. But I’ll do my best. There are a lot of albums I love for many reasons. Campfire Songs for how it captures my love of my home and the nature around me, Here Comes The Indian for the thoughts it provokes without me realizing I was drifting off into thought in the first place.. But two albums (yes, two, I’m copping out) belong in my heart and may never leave: Sung Tongs and Feels. Sung Tongs is a warm fire you’re enjoying with friends and family. It explores strange ideas sung in strange ways, yet still makes you feel

like you’ve heard and thought and sung them all before, maybe in a dream or while letting your mind drift. The imagery is sunlit windows and late morning, water lapping excitedly against the shore. It feels like I’m coming home when I listen to this album. Now is a good time to mention my favorite song, which is Mouth Wooed Her. I used to hate this song for how strange it was to me. But I turned a full 180 on that when I started to revel in the strangeness and relate to it. It starts soft and cluttered and seems to me to sound like just waking up. The vocals and instrumentals build together and make jarring peaks that at first turned me off, but now make me glow with happiness. It sounds like joy and excitement. A good stretch… and a good breakfast. The best song for the best time of day. Feels is a map of the human heart. It doesn’t dawdle on the exterior or waste time with shallow sentiments. This album splits open the core of how one person can feel about another person, about themselves, and the intimate details and inner-workings of being a person living in the world. The most incredible part is that it’s not always the lyrics that show this depth. A few words lead into a string of sounds and undulations that express what needs to be conveyed, lyrics and sounds becoming a story of their own and whispering directly to the parts of you that most need to be whispered to. It’s magical, bright elation leading into caution and questioning, floating gently into peaceful rest, a spike of pain and sadness, and serene calm.. It covers everything and there’s not a single track awry on the album. It’s a complete masterpiece. What’s the nerdiest/most dedicated thing you’ve done as an AC superfan? Are there any other bands/interests that are comparably important to you? KW: I am definitely not at the level of superfandom that some on CA reach, in terms of obsession with the band; however, in my ~prime~ as a fan, I snuck backstage at a Slasher Flicks show by getting some lights girl to distract the security guard, and I slipped past him to go meet Dave (Avey Tare) and get a selfie with him. I was too nervous so I couldn’t take the picture right – we ended up having some random guy take one of us. Past that, I suppose going to a lot of shows, DJ sets, etc and compulsively getting pictures or signatures at each one is as close as I get to being a crazed fan! Oh, and trying to get Dave to make a chipmunk face once. He said no when I showed him what I meant. It was embarrassing. A couple other bands compare in my mind. Literally just two – Battles and The Books. Their music does similar things for me and will probably always stick with me, though I’m not as deeply obsessed with them as I was with AC. Have you met anyone from the board IRL? If so, what was your experience like? If not, would you and what would your expectations be? KW: Ohhhh HAVE I. Yep, from the beginning I’ve been super into meeting people from the board. Having the chatroom and skyping was the perfect way to really get to know each other and develop good jokes and memories just like I would irl. I started off just saying hi to members at shows, but then I organized a hotel stay with a big group after a Panda Bear concert and had a great time. From then on, the group grew and we travel around to see each other pretty frequently, and have at least two awesome parties per year. I love these new traditions! My CA friends are my real friends, really, and they are very close to my heart.

Lucas

27, Bergen, Norway

When did you first find out about AC, and what was your first impression? Do you remember where you were/what you were doing when you first heard them? LdA: i don’t remember exactly where i read about them, but it made me curious enough and i ended up downloading spirit they’ve vanished and was blown away! on my next visit to the record store i bought “here comes the indian” and “sung tongs” with the money i’d gotten from shoveling my neighbor’s driveways. i remember thinking i had found something really special that i would remember forever, and i still think i was right. i don’t remember the first time i listened to their music, but i remember walking our dog through the neighborhood on the first warm day of spring and listening to “winter’s love” on headphones and it was just one of those moments where the music and the setting just take you to another plane. What is it about AC’s music and vibe that caused you to connect with them so intensely? LdA: i think the first thing that fascinated me about their music was their ability to make “ugly” sound “beautiful” and their relaxed and playful attitude to creation. i can’t quantify how much that has influenced me not only in my musical career, but personal life also. What is your favorite AC album and why? What is your favorite AC song and why?

and where i’m at in life. but i think the song that has always been by my side and has brought me the most joy is “winter’s love” and i don’t really know why. the sound of the wordless first verse is just so pleasing and relaxing, and the lyrics and how avey and panda help each other is so inspiring. i always imagine what it would have been like to have been in the studio when they recorded it. What’s the nerdiest/most dedicated thing you’ve done as an AC superfan? Are there any other bands/interests that are comparably important to you? LD: most of my time as a superfan has been spent living away from places where they would play live so it was more difficult to be so active about my fandom. i did run after them and thank them awkwardly after the only time they played in my hometown coming down from lsd. i don’t know if i’m proud of that, though, hahaha. but i did get the chance to talk to them again during their dj set in philly many years later and apologize. there was a period where animal collective and their was the most important thing in my life, and it was also during that period that i discovered so much great music that i still love today and have become great interests to me, especially the one and only panda bear. Have you met anyone from the board IRL? If so, what was your experience like? If not, would you and what would your expectations be? LdA: yes! and i’ve really enjoyed it! :D it seems like ca has a really cool ability to gather some really chill people. i’ve met 7 people from CA in the last 2 years and i’ve had loads of fun. i hope to meet many more in the future as well :)

LdA: my favorite album is still here comes the indian. it’s such a visual and sensual experience. you just have to turn off the lights and let it take you for a ride. so many cool sounds and atmospheres. my favorite ac song is a harder choice, it really depends on my mood

Saida 23, Los Angeles, Calif.

When did you first find out about AC, and what was your first impression? Do you remember where you were/what you were doing when you first heard them? SL: I found out about AC during my sophomore year in high school (end of 2008) around age 15/16, right before MPP came out. I don’t remember if it was casually with my friends who liked them, or by myself on the computer (downloaded them bc my friend liked them and so did someone on some livejournal community who introduced me to pitchfork). I listened to feels, which I guess had more “conventional” song structure. I thought they were really beautiful! I think the contrast between the sweet melodies + avey’s screaming roped me in. What is it about AC’s music and vibe that caused you to connect with them so intensely? SL: “experimental pop” is such a silly labeling but i really agree with that. AC has really sweet and catchy melodies that you can sing along to and really jive to, but has an element of weirdness (panda’s drum set, really obscure samples, avey’s weird voices and whooping, panda’s backup vocal timbre/nonconventional throaty voice) that really makes it unique. I had never heard anything like it and to be honest, I still haven’t today. They’re just a bunch of dudes who don’t care about being cool, can barely play acoustic instruments, and they do their own thing, which is very admirable! What is your favorite AC album and why? What is your favorite AC song and why? SL: oh man! this changes all the time! Feels is probably my favorite album although Strawberry Jam is close second. Fall Be Kind is my favorite EP :B Cuckoo, Cuckoo is my favorite song! It’s really jarring and chaotic with that loud percussion, Avey’s cuckoo-ing, those high pitched synths. Yet the few Debussy bars make it so captivatingly gorgeous! What’s the nerdiest/most dedicated thing you’ve done as an AC superfan? Are there any other bands/interests that are comparably important to you? SL: My partner and I are superfans so we’ve done a lot of nerdy things outside the public’s view. I got my BA in musicology so the nerdiest thing I’ve ever done was probably my 20 page musical analysis on Panda Bear’s Person Pitch. I am a huge music and vinyl nerd and also read a lot about gender and intersectionality regarding racism. A lot of my music-ing revolves

listening and researching around non “western” music, because I took a lot of ethnomusicology courses and performed within them (I took performance courses in: southern indian vocal music, afrocuban sons, some korean traditional music, and even old school blue grass ensemble music in which I played the mandolin). What really intrigues me is the language around music and how we tend to attempt to “western-ize” music while approaching it, when it’s not really suitable. I’m getting my masters in Library and Information Sciences, specializing in archives so a lot of my interests are looking into communities around me and archiving/collecting art they produce, taking photos, or creating my own art inspired by my surroundings. I basically hoard files and pictures. Have you met anyone from the board IRL? If so, what was your experience like? If not, would you and what would your expectations be? SL:Tons of people! Probably around 10? I mean I also married someone from the board hahaha. I felt like I was part of the community and so I added people on facebook. We all chatted on tinychat and spoke via webcam so it was chill. Sam would hit me up like every day to chat since it’d be his midday free time before uni and it’d be my night time chilling (the time difference is huge). since he is a musician and loved american music he told me he wanted to come to LA, so I picked him up and ~sparks flew~ and we started a long distance relationship. we were just a pair of young weirdos who were music geeks (he studied music as well in school) that liked to nerd out on animal collective samples and instrumentals. We spoke every day, skyped all the time, and he would just save up money and come to America for a a few weeks every couple of months. I visited him on his birthday and eventually I went over there to study abroad (he and i got a place together), worked at a community radio station where he got me the gig because his brother used to date the content coordinator. and august of 2014 he came over and we got an apartment and we’ve been living together ever since. we got married last june because his visa was expiring. he and i like the same things, but have different backgrounds so we are always learning new things about each other. we have a cat named milhouse because he and i are big simpsons nerds and we have a joined record collection (our babies are all of our rare animal collective 7″s) and will never question using our credit cards to buy $400 animal collective camping tickets. we also have made it a habit to look out for avey whenever we’re out at a certain area because he lives near us and sam spotted him once eating a sandwich at a local diner haha. CA are closeted AC nerds/a bunch of weirdos and I love ’em.

Mike

that album, its really cool.

When did you first find out about AC, and what was your first impression? Do you remember where you were/what you were doing when you first heard them?

MK: I think being somewhat active on the band’s fan forum for almost 9 years is plenty nerdy! I’ve seen AC the most times out of any band, and have traveled the furthest to see them. One of my first CA meet ups involved like 7 of us driving 5+ hours to a Panda Bear show and we stayed in a hotel together and had a blast! Only other artists that have ever come close since are of Montreal, and Yoni Wolf.

27, Baltimore, Md.

MK: I first heard of AC through a friend who sent me Here Comes The Indian in high school, when we were both really into noise music. I listened to it a few times, pretended to be really into it because ’whoa this is NOISY’ and i didn’t want to disappoint my friend, but i quickly got over that phase and forgot about the record. Later, I was sitting in my dorm room Fall 2007 listening to Pandora when “Peacebone” came on. I thought to myself “What the FUCK did I just listen to?” I had to stop what I was doing to find that song again. I found Strawberry Jam and immediately knew i found something special. I spent the next week obsessively trying to learn everything about this band and i soon found CA and have been here ever since. What is it about AC’s music and vibe that caused you to connect with them so intensely? MK: The first thing that stuck me was how intensely human their music was. I have been studying music my entire life and I have never heard anything like AC before. I was classically trained, and I was in classical music conservatory at the time i discovered AC, so my whole life i felt like music was only good if it was complex and technical. Upon getting into AC I realized that being able to play notes really fast or play complicated rhythms isn’t what makes music great, its much more than that. Discovering AC opened myself up to a world of music I was ignoring for years. I truly believe that their music is universal, the only people out there that aren’t obsessed with AC yet are the people that haven’t listened to them enough.

What’s the nerdiest/most dedicated thing you’ve done as an AC superfan? Are there any other bands/interests that are comparably important to you?

Have you met anyone from the board IRL? If so, what was your experience like? If not, would you and what would your expectations be? MK: I mostly lurked CA until fall 2013. Had kind if a rough breakup with a long time girlfriend so i ended up using CA more and more. Up until then i was too intimidated by how cool and interesting everybody was but after a lot of PM’s and later discovering their chat room, I became really good friends with a lot of people. I ended up meeting many CAers that year. I’m usually pretty quiet and reserved and awkward around people I don’t really know yet, but everybody i’ve met has felt like I’ve been bffs with them for years. Being friends with fellow AC fans feels so oddly natural. Its hard to explain to your family and other friends how I know these people or how great they are. I ended up moving to Baltimore from NY because of all the great friends I made here so thanks for changing my life AC!

What is your favorite AC album and why? What is your favorite AC song and why? MK: Favorite album is Here Comes The Indian. AC’s music is incredibly unique already but HCTI is really something else. Ive listened to and studied a lot of music, and I can’t think of anything that sounds like HCTI. As for favorite song, it’s really hard to pick just one. My favorite track off HCTI is Infant Dressing Table. The way it builds and swells slowly over 8 minutes puts me in another world that no other song has. My favorite non-HCTI song is probably Alvin Row. It’s a shame they haven’t used piano the way they did on Spirit since

Amber 21, Titusville, Fla.

When did you first find out about AC, and what was your first impression? Do you remember where you were/what you were doing when you first heard them? AW: I first found out about Animal Collective about 4 years ago. I was browsing music on youtube while procrastinating on a huge group project for my high school Anatomy class. I was mostly searching around for youtube videos of full albums so I didn’t have to keep changing the song every 3-4 minutes. I came across Animal Collective’s Merriweather Post Pavilion after a little searching and let it play through. It was nothing like I had heard before. I remember being confused and excited about what I had come across. A few days later, I bought that album on iTunes and didnt’ dig much more into them until a few years later. What is it about AC’s music and vibe that caused you to connect with them so intensely? AW: Growing up where I did and how I did, I didn’t listen to a lot of different music. Most of my friends were bumpin the Orlando stations’ Top 40 lists or listening to post hardcore scene music. I started to dig a little more in the popular indie scene and branching out to different music. When I finally got really into Animal Collective I discovered that there were broader spectrums of music to explore. I started to listen to Animal Collective at a very hard and weird time of my life. I had just moved out of my mom’s and into my grandmother’s where I became her caretaker. I was out of school and didn’t have a job or car so I spent most of my time alone there. I had recently broken up with my boyfriend of 3.5 years so I spent most of my time online and just listening to music. I think I really connected with a lot of the band’s lyrics during this time while i explored these emotions of being an ‘adult’ but not having any of the freedom or responsibilities. I was vulnerable and the music was my crutch. What is your favorite AC album and why? What is your favorite AC song and why? AW: I would say that my favorite animal collective album would have to be ‘Feels’. The album really does take you on this journey of different emotions. Through this time period of listening to this album a lot, my generalized anxiety and depression were at their highs. I had been single for a few months and still working through those emotions while trying to move onto finding someone new. I felt the loneliness of being single for the first time in years and then felt the ‘crush high’ after meeting my now current boyfriend.

emotions I was going through at the time. The song is about this breakup that the singer is going through. The feelings of a falling apart relationship, and the feeling of having to just get away and take a breather. I really found myself connecting the strongest to this line: “But I don’t wish that I was dead a very old friend of mine once said That either way you look at it you have your fits I have my fits but feeling is good” Whenever I get upset or have a bad spell of anxiety/depression, I find myself repeating this line to myself. Sometimes even the pain of feeling something bad is a nice reminder that you’re still alive. Feeling is good. What’s the nerdiest/most dedicated thing you’ve done as an AC superfan? Are there any other bands/interests that are comparably important to you? AW: I have been getting tattooed for a few years an Animal Collective have inspired a lot of my tattoos. Some of my tattoos are strongly AC related and some are just a small tribute to a song title. My first Animal Collective tattoo is my knee piece. It’s a blackwork bee surrounded by honeycombs and the lyrics “TAKE YOUR TIME” written across the top in an arc. Another tattoo I have in reference of my favorite album ‘Feels’, is a cardinal referencing the song ‘Flesh Canoe’ and the opening line “young red bird, they’re just natural feelings I can’t keep from changing my brains”. I also have a ‘Purple Bottle’ tattoo but it’s only inspired by the song with it’s color, it was a flash tattoo I got on Friday the 13th of a poison bottle. I wasn’t going to get the bottle colored purple at first but then thought it would be a nice way to add to the theme of AC related tattoos. The last tattoo I have that is AC inspired is a little strawberry in reference to their album, ‘Strawberry Jam’. It’s my second favorite album by the band. Have you met anyone from the board IRL? If so, what was your experience like? If not, would you and what would your expectations be? AW: In May of 2015, I flew to Baltimore, MD to meet up with a bunch of the members of CA. I think ten of us ended up being there for the party. It was probably one of the funnest days of my life up to date. We had Will making drinks, danny and Clams (also named Will but called by his username) providing great comedy weather they were aware of it or not, and overall great conversations with the rest of the crew. I brought my Instax Mini camera with me so I was snapping pics all night. I kept all the pictures and put them in an album and I still visit them to this day. Since then I have visited another time, had Mike stay with me here in FL and we went to disney, and I’m planning another trip for this summer. I met some lifelong friends through this music board and I think it’s probably one of the best things to ever happen to me.

My favorite song off of this album is definitely ‘Banshee Beat’. I was really able to relate to this song as it went along well with the

Ruairí

20, Dublin, Ireland

When did you first find out about AC, and what was your first impression? Do you remember where you were/what you were doing when you first heard them? RM: I first heard of them back in January or February of 2009. I was 13 and Merriweather had just come out. My dad had heard about it, bought it, and was playing it for me and the rest of the family as we road tripping up to Northern Ireland to visit relatives. I distinctly remember looking out on my window as fields and hills rushed by and hating the album. I guess I was not ready for it at that point, for I forgot about it for years until sometime in 2011, when I actually got into them. What is it about AC’s music and vibe that caused you to connect with them so intensely? RM: I have thought about this a lot, over the years. I like all sorts of elements in music, but I especially like a chaos that is sort of playful. A willingness to be musicially abrasive, surreal or loose in a way that risks sounding silly or just bad, but they almost always make it sound right. That probably sounds nebulous but oh well. What is your favorite AC album and why? What is your favorite AC song and why? RM: Picking favourites is hard, and changes constantly. But, in regards to an album, I will choose at the moment, Here Comes The Indian. It is pretty much flawless, the way it is structured, with songs swaying from a mad, almost scary, cacophony to calmer,

beautiful parts. It is like being a see-saw, bring variety but always feels of a piece. It also has some of the most unique sounds I have heard, still not sure how they made it! and the whole album feels nervous, which is something I relate to. In addition, Too Soon makes me cry. My favourite song changes less often. It is usually Safer. Once again, love how strange the sounds are, and the shift from the disordered latter sounds to a steadier drum beat and sample vocal drones and piano, is really beautiful. Avey’s unstable singing and screams are great as well and their progression has been branded on my brain. What’s the nerdiest/most dedicated thing you’ve done as an AC superfan? Are there any other bands/interests that are comparably important to you? RM: Being a moderator on their fan forum is probably the most dedicated, and the nerdiest, thing. Along with creating a collecting of found poetry using the band’s lyrics. Luckily they died with an old computer because they were terrible. I would say that no other band has affected me as much. The closest would be bands such as Boards of Canada, Broadcast or The Books (something about the letter B) but they have hit me in different ways than Animal Collective have. Despite that, I would not be surprised of the aforementioned bands become more important than Animal Collective in the future, as I associate the latter heavily with my late teens, early twenties. Have you met anyone from the board IRL? If so, what was your experience like? If not, would you and what would your expectations be? RM:I have met about a dozen people from the board in person (including the interviewer) and have formed close bonds, from friendships to, at one point, a relationship. The experience has been continuously one of the very most important parts of my life, and who I am, who and what I love and what I hope to do, would be absolutely completely different if it was absent. The importance cannot be

Viktor

27, Hässleholm, Sweden

When did you first find out about AC, and what was your first impression? Do you remember where you were/what you were doing when you first heard them? VE: When... it was probably 2005. If I remember right Feels had just come out or came out soon after. My older brother was a member of some Swedish music website that had a mixtape exchange thing. Someone sent a tape that opened with Spirit They’ve Vanished, so that was the first song I heard by Animal Collective. I guess he played it to me, or I heard it anyway, I don’t remember the exact moment or circumstance, but it was likely in his room when we were playing videogames or something. I thought it was kinda nuts, but also really cool. I was used to weird stuff so the noise aspect didn’t turn me off, luckily. But since I didn’t really know who they were, it wasn’t until I heard more songs, (that, again, my brother downloaded so I listened to them on the computer) some of the more catchy stuff from Sung Tongs or Chocolate Girl or whatever, that I understood that this was a cool band I should keep my eyes on. What is it about AC’s music and vibe that caused you to connect with them so intensely? VE: Difficult question to answer. It’s undeniably fun, catchy and a lot of the times very unique pop music. It’s easy to feel the groove and let it grab you. I think it’s also music that manages to be emotional and sensitive in ways I hadn’t perhaps heard much of before. In a sort of honest way, no clichés. I think that their older music also had a very good sound, production and what not. With Strawberry Jam and so on that aspect became less interesting to me, when I guess their instrumentation changed. But Song Tongs and Feels as examples, there are so many treasures hidden in there, if you could just reach out and brush aside the layers somehow. The performance of the music, it’s emotional inventory, and the recording of it, they fit. But mostly, the catchy melodies, I think! What is your favorite AC album and why? What is your favorite AC song and why? VE: Feels is my favourite album. The number one reason for this is that the songs are very good of course. There are also not that many songs, so they can take their time, both on the album to become what they become, and in my mind. You are with them longer that way. But they hit that sweet perfect length where nothing drags on for too long. Except maybe Daffy Duck, but that might also be the point. It’s the song on Feels I underrate the most. I don’t understand the title, I don’t understand what is happening in it, it always surprises me. And to know I’m not “done” with an album, or a song on the album,

not done understanding it, or discovering it, even after I’ve heard it so many times gives me so much more reason to listen again. I never get tired of Feels. It’s been with me on so many walks in the evenings, during all seasons. It has given me goosebumps and tears and it has made me want to nod my head more than my spine will let me. Favourite song, is more tricky. There is no one true answer most likely, but now that I sat here and thought about Feels, I suppose a good answer could be Banshee Beat. It’s a song I can’t let just play, I must listen to it, attentively. That song manages to be so fully a song that any song could be. It’s like a story, like a novel, like a film. And that is regardless of any lyrics in it. (To be honest, I can’t recall the lyrics right now.) I mean more the sort of dramaturgy of it, and the way it becomes all the different things it becomes. It’s a piece that lives and you can’t help feel alive by it. What’s the nerdiest/most dedicated thing you’ve done as an AC superfan? Are there any other bands/interests that are comparably important to you? VE: I have not done anything particularly nerdy. I bought Spirit and Dansee on vinyl even though I didn’t have a player. I also saw them live, together with most of the kids and hip crowds of a little university town. Talk about nerd! No, no, wait! I know the answer: I joined an Animal Collective fan forum, lol. I think Animal Collective was once very important to me as a band, and their old music still is in ways. But I’m not very interested in them anymore. However, I can be nothing but forever thankful over how they turned me on to the before-mentioned fan forum, where I’ve had so much fun, and have come in contact with so many nice people. I think it’s likely that it is their greatest work. Other musical acts that I’ve thought about as religiously at some point would otherwise be The Microphones/Mount Eerie/Phil Elvrum. I sent the dude a really lame letter and I hope he never got it. Have you met anyone from the board IRL? If so, what was your experience like? If not, would you and what would your expectations be? VE: As far as I know I have not yet met anyone from the board in real life. I would however very much like to meet some special people from the board. Unfortunately most of them live on the other side of the world. I’m not very industrious and have never had much money to spend (also not really a traveller), but who knows when I can kick myself in the arse and dare to adventure some. My expectations involve laughter, hugs, dancing, romance and fatty american food, and I think I would have a very good time.

Sarina 20, Parkersburg, WV When did you first find out about AC, and what was your first impression? Do you remember where you were/what you were doing when you first heard them? SS: I’m not sure when exactly I first found out about AC, but I remember in my freshman year of high school I really enjoyed a few of their songs. That was 2009, so it was the year Merriweather Post Pavilion came out. I wasn’t in the habit of listening to full albums at that point really, but I was really into a few of their songs. I thought “Water Curses” was absolutely mesmerizing (especially with the video!) and I remember really enjoying “Brothersport” as well. I showed “Brothersport” to one of my friends at the time and she said that it sounded like Panda Bear was singing in German. I didn’t learn that there were two singers until much later, which blew my mind because at the time I thought one person sang all of their songs. What is it about AC’s music and vibe that caused you to connect with them so intensely? SS: I didn’t get way into Animal Collective until four years later, in my freshman year of college. I think being in an unfamiliar place, I just found comfort in AC’s music. To me, they are really good at constructing moods and atmospheres that people connect to. Like, Campfire Songs, for example, is recorded outdoors in one take, I believe, and you really are reminded of sitting outside at nighttime in the summer when you are listening to it. I think that is probably why so many people have connected so deeply with AC’s music, it has the power of bringing you back to good memories and times in your life. I have heard that they dislike when people say that their music is ‘childlike’ or ‘innocent,’ but I feel as though there is a certain purity and energy in albums like Feels that I associate with childhood. What is your favorite AC album and why? What is your favorite AC song and why?

SS:My favorite AC album is definitely Merriweather Post Pavilion. I have listened to it so much and just can never imagine getting sick of it. I love the lyrical themes, like materialism in “Taste” and “My Girls.” It’s also just really playful and I love the pop structures of the songs. I also like all the layers upon layers of samples. It just sounds really rich and pleasing. It’s a very summery and feel-good album, for me, and I just have good feelings and memories associated with it. My favorite AC song is “Bluish.” It’s a song that feels so full of love to me. What’s the nerdiest/most dedicated thing you’ve done as an AC superfan? Are there any other bands/interests that are comparably important to you? SS: Probably the boldest thing I did was ask Panda Bear for a hug when meeting him after his concert in Pittsburgh. I just love his music so much! He was really nice about it. He seems like a nice guy in general. The coolest Animal Collective-related thing I own is the Animal Crack Box. It’s neat owning it and knowing how limited it is. I really like the artwork too. There are a lot of artists I really enjoy, but I don’t think there’s been any that I’ve connected with as deeply as Animal Collective. I do love My Bloody Valentine and the whole shoegaze/dream pop scene quite a lot, though. Have you met anyone from the board IRL? If so, what was your experience like? If not, would you and what would your expectations be? SS: I have not met anyone from the board! I wish I have, but no one lives in West Virginia! I imagine that people on the board would be really cool people in real life. I’d like to go record shopping or to a concert with people from the board! A lot of people have really cool tastes in music, especially in certain genres.

Ethan

attracted me to them as that they sounded like nothing I had ever heard before. They are singular and unique even now that they have influenced a whole generation of artists.

When did you first find out about AC, and what was your first impression? Do you remember where you were/what you were doing when you first heard them?

EH: My favorite AC album is Strawberry Jam. I think that has a lot to do with it being the first album of theirs I heard. But even now I think it’s perfect. It’s bouncy and fun in a way they would explore on MPP but it still contains a lot of darkness that is absent from more recent albums. I love the production on it, they were going to a dryer sound than feels and I think it really paid off. Reverend Green and Fireworks back to back are unreal. Cuckoo Cuckoo has made me cry many times. I love that song. And I love that it’s like the true ending of the album and then Panda shows up with Derek to lighten the mood one last time. My favorite song by them though is banshee beat. It’s the perfect mix of their more formless noisey jams and their structured pop songs. And it makes me cry. And it helped me get over a very brutal relationship I was in in Highschool. I love the lyrics, I love the beat I love everything about it.

27, Chicago, IL

EH: I found out about AC in 07 when Strawberry Jam came out. I was 16. I used to be a member of a forum on channel101.com. Someone made a thread about the new AC album and people were talking about whether it was better than feels or not. Everyone seemed to like it though. I read that thread but for some reason didn’t try listening to the music. I think I had read some blurb about a different band that included a dismissive ding at AC. And that kept me from checking out the band until I found the Peacebone video in the middle of a Pitchfork list of sweet music videos. I thought the video was interesting, but the song was “too weird” for me. The screaming turned me off and I was still into more straightforward indie rock like modest mouse. I had no desire to listen to any more of their music, so that was it at that point. But a weird thing happened, a couple weeks later I had this melody in my head and I couldn’t figure out where it was from. For days I agonized over the mystery of the melody. And then in one moment it clicked and I realized it was the melody from Peacebone. I downloaded the album immediately and I was hooked. I remember looking up Peacebone on youtube and finding a sweet live video. (Malta Festival in Poland, 2006) I remember sending that video to my friend Jesse being like, “hey check this out it’s really weird but I think I like it” and him replying something along the lines of, “Yeah dude this is weird, I’m not into it.” I spent the next year devouring their entire discography. Somewhere during that I found CA but wasn’t able to join because registration had been suspended following the leak of a couple Merriweather songs. They had a weird layout for non members, the homepage looked like a blog and every thread from the AC subforum was posted like news articles. I lurked on that version of the board for months, looking for news before I finally emailed someone on the board and was able to properly join. At that point they were pretty much my favorite band ever. I devoured all the bootlegs I could and then a couple months later Merriweather leaked out into the world. What is it about AC’s music and vibe that caused you to connect with them so intensely? EH: I heard someone who was interviewing AC once refer to their music as Grotesque. I don’t remember the exact definiation he used but it was along the lines of this one I found. “fantastic in the shaping and combination of forms, as in decorative work combining incongruous human and animal figures with scrolls, foliage, etc.” I feel like that’s a perfect description of the elements that attract me to them. A focus on nature, the subversion of ugliness into beauty. They took the basis of noise music and created pop songs. Mostly what

What is your favorite AC album and why? What is your favorite AC song and why?

What’s the nerdiest/most dedicated thing you’ve done as an AC superfan? Are there any other bands/interests that are comparably important to you? EH: I’m not sure what the nerdiest thing I’ve done for AC is. I’ve made music videos for their songs. I’ve driven to neighboring cities to see them. They are easily my favorite band. I bought the tomboy box set and that day I ran into panda bear at a madlib show and got to tell him I had just bought the box set. And he seemed really happy to hear that, told me if was his favorite version of that record. And ya it’s so good. The single lp of all the single mixes is one of my favorite lps. There’s no band that really comes close for me. Modest Mouse was my favorite band before I found AC and I still love them, but there last couple albums have not been great. But like. I’m also a huge fanboy of David Lynch, Nintendo, Dan Harmon etc... Have you met anyone from the board IRL? If so, what was your experience like? If not, would you and what would your expectations be? EH: I have met some people from CA. I met you Marry, and I had a great time. I met a bunch of CAers at the chicago Avey Tare show.Got to meet Dave and Eric Copeland that night as well. I used to hang out with Reem when she lived in Chicago. Ran into her at a Panda Bear show once. I met Brint and Edan on Monday at their Earthly show in Chicago. They were really nice and it was cool to finally meet them irl. The show was fun. there’s something about meeting someone you’ve sorta known for years but not really. I’d like to meet more CA people. Like Saida and Sam.