Campfire Songs, by Campfire Songs (CD on Catsup Plate)

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Recorded largely on a screened-in porch in rural Maryland, Campfire Songs represents a significant change in sound and technique for the Animal Collective. Acoustic guitars have replaced the electronic effects of previous releases like Danse Manatee and Spirit They're Gone, Spirit They've Vanished, captured live on three strategically placed mini-disc recorders (with field recordings added to two tracks at a later point). Though the sound is radically different from the digital processing and sound manipulation previously employed, the results are clearly of a piece with the percussive, almost incantatory feel of their earlier records. While these unorthodox recording conditions go against your traditional ideas of sound purity, the audible hum of the outdoors adds a real depth and presence impossible to achieve otherwise. At different points, one can hear the rush of wind, birdcalls, rain (?), and even an airplane passing overhead at one quiet moment. As the record/project name suggests, there is a comfortable warmth here; the palette of instruments and natural sounds are familiar and inviting.

From there, the trio (3/4 of the Collective appears on this recording) knits together threads of guitar strum and pluck; chanted, nearly wistful vocal harmonies; and often a pulsing rhythm that seems like it might break apart at any moment, and sometimes does. The melodies are simple and repetitive, recalling the early work of the Third Ear Band, '70s German commune-music, and similar folk-psychedelic explorers. But these are all mere starting points: here, there is real insight into notions of "natural" sound, a retreat from technology and a return to traditional instrumentation, and conventional song structures broken down, drawn out, and reassembled. The resulting record is beautiful, heartfelt, mournful, and brimming with spontaneous energy.

The first two editions, of 1000 copies each came in handmade chipboard digipaks with offset printed decals and insert (sold out). The third edition comes in factory-made digipaks with a slightly different decal design.