Some new Avey Tare tour promotional material has him holding an Octatrack

I know Panda Bear has used an Octa for a while, not sure when Avey hopped on the wagon.

https://www.statesidepresents.com/event/1822569-avey-tare-tucson/

I think I hear some monomachine on his new record too!

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There are a few live shows on YouTube from Avey’s Down There era tours where you can see his setup pretty well. Definitely had both an octatrack and monomachine back then. I think he turned panda on to elektron around that time.

I can definitely hear some MnM on the new album too!

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Nice to see him mentioned here! The new record is very good, as is pretty much every other record he is involved with. Panda Bear is what got me into elektron. I’m sure he used both the DT and the AH on the homies EP, but he still uses 2 OTs when performing live. I’m also pretty sure they used the OT for live looping and sample mangling on the recent sung tongs shows as animal collective. They are easily among my favorite artists of all time :heart_eyes:

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Me too!! I have very strong opinions about Animal Collective and love them to death.

Panda using an Octatrack is what got my buddy into Elektron, too. Actually, it’s not a stretch at all to say that Anco got me and my best mates into electronic music and sampling in general…We used to use a 404, an Octa and a Bass Station 2 when we played live. Anco made me want a 404 :stuck_out_tongue:

https://theblankwaves.bandcamp.com/album/the-blank-waves

(shameless plug of my music from that time)

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That all being said, I can’t get into this new Avey record :frowning: I like HORS a lot, but I don’t like Avey when he just kind of meanders. I like him at his poppiest when he’s belting melodies. I’m going to really sit down and listen with headphones sometime soon, but the album strikes me as “filler” with a LOT of incredible sound design. And to me, these dudes sound design has aged like wine.

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the AC influence is really obvious on that album, but I like it! Also sounds like Christmas at times :partying_face:
AC is also what got me into getting a 404 :smiley: I sold it a few weeks ago to finally be able to afford an OT. Worth it!

I’d say give the new avey album a few more listens, it also didn’t click with me right away. it its far from being filler, most of the tracks are up with his other solo stuff and some even comes close to A level (the first 2 tracks and HORS_).

While we’re at shameless plugs, here is my most recent stuff:

Down There is definitely still my favorite example of what the MnM can do, even though it’s not 100% MnM, he did say that most of it is. I still don’t understand how he got some of those sounds…

It sounds like he’s used the MnM a bit on every album since then, including his new solo record. Safe to say the same goes for the OT too.

agreed. I love the sounds from Down There. I have an MnM MKII and I have been trying to recreate some of those sounds. Good practice for me, which I still need a lot of to get some sweet sounds like that!

Hey dude this sounds good! Definitely some sound design inspiration from AnCo. Your vocals could come up!

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This record has grown on me now. That makes me happy lol.

Finally sat down with some good headphones and just met it on its own merits rather than trying to want it to be something it’s not. Really like the textures a lot, and his melodies are buried in there, asking to be dug up. Very pretty. I kind of think the first two tracks are the weakest, with the record really picking up at Nostalgia in Lemonade. But that opinion might change!

Finally sat down with some good headphones and just met it on its own merits rather than trying to want it to be something it’s not.

These are both crucial for Animal Collective and related. I love how subtle sounds and/or melodies can be unheard for multiple listens. I truly feel like almost all of their songs get better the more you listen. It’s kind of strange but also inspiring

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I just bought an Octrack MKII so I was excited to see Avey play this show out here in Tucson - definitely hoping that it was solo and with the Octatrack. But, went to the show and he had the full band, guitar, bass, drums - the opening electronic duo was pretty interesting though.

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DUDE I SAW HIM IN TUCSON

Remember when that guy in the crowd shouted “WIDE EYED DEAK?”. God that was cringey.

Deakin fuckin killed it though. His prophet 12 and his guitar playing and his harmonies sounded so good

A little review I posted elsewhere

A bit late with this one, but I wanted to post my thoughts.

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The first thing I noticed was how incredible the low end sounded. The kick drum itself and the room were so perfect and molded, but not overpowering. In fact, the room was never too loud, either–didn’t even have to wear earplugs. Later I went up to the soundguy and asked him what mic he had on that kick because god damn did it sound good, and he said that the drummer was using triggers for a sample–makes sense. AnCo being so concerned with their sound I wouldn’t expect any less.

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Speaking of the drummer and samples, he had a Roland drum pad of some sort to play lots of one shots to add extra textures like the clap/rim for HORS, the shaker in When You Left Me, the cool tom in Good Eyes. Other times he would put a delay on his kick drum, but I don’t remember which song he did that for…

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I was surprised to see Deakin there–or anyone else for that matter. I expected it to just be Avey. But let me tell you–I’ve got a lot more respect for Deakin after this show. I always liked him before, but the way he treats sound and textures is totally distinct from the other dudes in the group. There were moments where he was playing the bass but had an octave pedal on it and soloed on it like a guitar–it was way badass. There were multitimbral sounds he was playing on his Prophet 12 (multitimbral is when you split the keyboard, so like the bass sound can be different from the lead sound for instance) that were different from the sounds on the Cows record, but fit so beautifully. I commented to my friend that he was really milking that thing…And maybe Avey made those sounds on that synth, idk. There was some cacophonous, noisey guitar sound on one track, and a gorgeous, watery, chorused guitar sound on another. That man has a good set of ears. His voice was super on point, too. He can harmonize with Avey so gorgeously and the two blend so well it’s like one voice.

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My friend and I agreed they did the two-chord-drone-trope a bit too much…Nearly every song started and ended with that and we just weren’t into it. It just seemed like filler to us. It wasn’t particularly psychedelic or engaging in the way that, say, the end of Daily Routine is. It was usually just Avey strumming a chord or two and Deakin twisting a delay knob or something. Ah well.

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The first track Avey played (Remember Mayan) had him on the bass guitar! I had never seen Avey touch a bass! And he had some crazy ass effect on it where it was fuzzy and distorted, but also just made it sound like a synth. Not sure what that was. I was pretty into it though.

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At some point in the middle of the show some guy shouted out “WIDE EYED DEAK” and my friend and I cringed…Then we laughed. I don’t know how I feel about that comment.

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They played some track I was not into at all. Not sure if it’s an old one I don’t recognize or a new one, but Avey had some weird autotune-like effect on his voice and the song just wasn’t hitting.

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Favorite moments: HORS__, Saturdays

Least favorite: When You Left Me which is my favorite song from Eucalyptus and I couldn’t stand the arrangement…I was so disappointed when the song never built or went anywhere and was just so tame.

Other weirdness: Why is it the only Down There song he played was Heads Hammock?! Of all the songs? Lucky 1? Heather in the Hospital? I hope I see Laughing Hieroglyphic before I die…That could be one of the most beautiful songs every written.

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I bought a shirt and bought my buddy and I a drink

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I didn’t get to see the cows tour was geologist the opener for any of the shows you guy saw I’ve seen severyone solo but him would like to see he’s solo gig.

Pandas recent double octatrack set was awesome so much louder and bass hitting you in the chest then the album, did not expect it to be so intense live.

Also Cows is pretty good I just dont get why Avey always seems to go for the lo fi sounds on he’s solo stuff, I think there are a few moments and songs on the new album that woulda have made more sense with a cleaner fuller production but I guess he just likes to do as much of he’s solo stuff himself with as little help as needed.

I dont recall an Octatrack on live sung tongs though that would make sense, I thought he just had looper pedals but couldn’t really see to know. That show was amazing one of mu personnel favorite Anco related shows

I don’t follow AC/PB/etc much any more. so I’m enjoying reading about what these dudes are doing these days, and how. first exposure to Animal Collective was back in 2004. I saw them open for Battles (who themselves were still pretty small) at a small club in Cleveland. maybe ~100 or so people there. Panda Bear had his old setup with a floor tom, snare and a cymbal, and I think an SP-202. Avey Tare was on his knees on the stage for most of the show. Geologist had on a hiker’s headband/lamp and was on the floor of the stage, changing between various mini-discs (run through a string of pedals I think) for the entire set.

I was impressed by their sound, but really I was there for Battles, who were incredible.

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MK1 like a boss!

Ive animal a lot live but never got to see their weird freaky early show wish I had especially since I’m from queens and was a bridge away from all their early freak out days I just didn’t think know them.

But their solo shows get pretty weird still. Panda likes to push he’s songs to that breaking point before letting the pretty melodies and smooth rhythms kick back in

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Also in case anyone cares my name is a reference to them

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Just stumbled upon this video from the painting with era. I’m baffled how they can operate octatracks while singing hocketing vocals simultaneously in such chaotic songs (lying in the grass and hocus pocus especially).

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