“I woke to sweats in the night,
Strange sensation to feel alive.”
Animal Collective hits restart as Avey Tare and Geologist head to the Amazon to record a live ambient album in the vein of Campfire Songs. Featuring sound collages and field recordings, Meeting of the Waters is a huge change in trajectory from where the band was headed with their pop-focused releases following the disappointing reception to Centipede Hz. Sans perennial AnCo contributor Panda Bear, the EP was originally a Record Store Day exclusive, but since it’s actually decent, it got a wider release. While it’s a major departure from the sound they had been cultivating on the past few albums, it’s also something of a return to an earlier form of the band, when ambient noise and the recording environment had as much to say about the album’s sound as the band members themselves.
Trading in the comfort of the studio for the rainforest, Avey Tare and Geologist use the hissing atmosphere as a backdrop for roughspun improvisations. Bookended by two ambient-oriented tracks (the latter of which is featured in an alternate version on Avey Tare’s Eucalyptus album) the EP is highlighted by ‘Man of Oil’, one of AnCo’s best tracks of the decade. It’s driven by Avey’s acoustic guitar, but Geologist’s percussion and strangely alluring wailing vocal samples give it an atypical beauty that they hadn’t achieved in a while. In the years preceding this release, they certainly made some great songs, but their best moments from Merriweather until this had mostly all been achieved within the general bounds of pop aesthetics. But ‘Man of Oil’ is different, ascending to its sublime melancholy heights from an obscure angle, an approach reminiscent of some of the best tracks on Feels, like ‘Bees’ and ‘Flesh Canoe’. This one’s a true gem.
The other songs are hit or miss; if you’re in the mood for the ambient meandering that the boys indulged in on earlier records, it’s fine, probably on par with Campfire Songs or parts of Here Comes the Indian.
Favorite Tracks: Man of Oil.