Animal Collective

clutnuckle · 10-06-2010, 10:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by storymilo

Yeah but..... that's My Girls. A lot of their songs (take Peacebone or something) really aren't poppy unless you count having catchy melodies as pop.

"Peacebone" has a very simple structure. The concept of pop music by today's standards is essentially in structure, as people tend to stretch pop music in other ways (for example, Animal Collective's excess sampler use).

Yeah, Animal Collective scream a bit in the sound. It has a bit of sampler noise. Those are just quirks in a pop song. Much the same way that some songs rely heavily on harmonies or rhythm sections. It still falls directly into a very predictable (but likable) structure. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

I'll add that yes, at times, Animal Collective's music defies simply being called 'pop music'. Feels is constantly ambient pop, SJ can border on noise pop/psychedelic pop, and the like. I was just saying it wasn't pure experimental music. Hell, some of it's experimental pop, I'll give them that. That was the only thing I wanted to differentiate.

debaserr · 10-06-2010, 10:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clutnuckle

That's probably something that separates our opinions; I suppose I'm OCD about these kinds of things; I love music, first and foremost, but cataloging my admiration into specific categories is ingrained into my mind. In the end, of course, it doesn't matter if the album you love is progressive flamenco music or post-japanese metalcore - you'll love what you love.

But even then, if genres don't matter, why are people so inclined to use them incorrectly? It's often taken for granted; it helps separate what you know you'll like from what you might not, but these kinds of incorrect tags/genres come from people who don't PUT the thought into categorization like I and other OCD-nuts do.

And I don't want to slag on them for that; it's their choice and I can definitely see how somebody would see organization without genres, but if you see it that way, why even use them?

I feel as though I've just made a mountain out of a molehill.

Edit: Disregard what I previously said, there's a much easier way to explain how I feel about genre tagging. You can do an optional assignment for your English class. You don't have to, but if you're going to do it, you want to do well, so you need to read up on the topic at hand, you need to experience the topic first-hand and live and breathe it for a while - after all, if you want to do well, you need to understand it from a first-hand perspective.

That's how I see genre-tagging. It's unessential, but if you want to do it, have good reason and backing for doing it.

i would say TL;DR but that would be dishonest. i agree that genres are useful in a general sense. but arguing about whether something is this or that is tiring and wasteful.

clutnuckle · 10-06-2010, 10:29 PM

If something is useful, how can reading into its intricacies not be useful? Understanding how a car battery works is just as important as the car battery itself. Genre-tagging is the same way. If you're going to bother doing it, do it with aptitude is all I'm saying.

storymilo · 10-06-2010, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clutnuckle

"Peacebone" has a very simple structure. The concept of pop music by today's standards is essentially in structure, as people tend to stretch pop music in other ways (for example, Animal Collective's excess sampler use).

Yeah, Animal Collective scream a bit in the sound. It has a bit of sampler noise. Those are just quirks in a pop song. Much the same way that some songs rely heavily on harmonies or rhythm sections. It still falls directly into a very predictable (but likable) structure. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

I'll add that yes, at times, Animal Collective's music defies simply being called 'pop music'. Feels is constantly ambient pop, SJ can border on noise pop/psychedelic pop, and the like. I was just saying it wasn't pure experimental music. Hell, some of it's experimental pop, I'll give them that. That was the only thing I wanted to differentiate.

I don't think having simple structure makes a song pop. I agree with you that Animal Collective are not a totally experimental band, but I wouldn't call them a pop band either. When I think of pop I think of music that can appeal to the masses in some way, and I cannot picture most people I know listening to Peacebone, even if it is simple. I think we're just defining pop differently.

debaserr · 10-06-2010, 11:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clutnuckle

If something is useful, how can reading into its intricacies not be useful? Understanding how a car battery works is just as important as the car battery itself. Genre-tagging is the same way. If you're going to bother doing it, do it with aptitude is all I'm saying.

the intricacies of genres don't interest me, what interests me is the music itself. the rest is just bullshit.

Jonny Redshirt · 10-07-2010, 12:13 PM

Comparing Animal Collective to your average pop band, they are strange and offbeat. If I ever heard "Peacebone" on modern top 40 radio, I think I'd die of a heart attack. And I love "Peacebone". On the other hand, Merriweather Post Pavilion is a fairly normal album for Animal Collective. Maybe that's why I don't care for it so much - their weird arrangements made their "Normal pop music" unique and interesting. Of course, when they were too weird (Danse Manatee) they were basically unlistenable. Hence why I think albums like Feels and Strawberry Jam are their best work.

Connair · 10-07-2010, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jonny Redshirt

Comparing Animal Collective to your average pop band, they are strange and offbeat. If I ever heard "Peacebone" on modern top 40 radio, I think I'd die of a heart attack. And I love "Peacebone". On the other hand, Merriweather Post Pavilion is a fairly normal album for Animal Collective. Maybe that's why I don't care for it so much - their weird arrangements made their "Normal pop music" unique and interesting. Of course, when they were too weird (Danse Manatee) they were basically unlistenable. Hence why I think albums like Feels and Strawberry Jam are their best work.

oh man but i heard my girls on the Commercial Alternative Rock station. that made me a bit sad.

debaserr · 10-07-2010, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Connair

oh man but i heard my girls on the Commercial Alternative Rock station. that made me a bit sad.

why? you don't like them? or you want them to remain hip or something?

lieasleep · 10-08-2010, 01:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Connair

oh man but i heard my girls on the Commercial Alternative Rock station. that made me a bit sad.

i hate it when people say shit like this. every once in a while the radio gets it right. the radio is no test of good or bad music.

the animal collective is very pop based, just listen to their vocal melodies. they are weird, and intricate, and interesting, and unapologetic about making the music that they feel like making and that makes this band special and great. but if they didn't have that basic grounding in very catchy pop music, i would consider them inaccessible garbage.

Dayvan Cowboy · 10-09-2010, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keith!

*sigh*
third post in a row in this thread. but this time i've got REAL news!

2 brand new Avey Tare songs from Down There are now out,
Lucky 1 and Oliver Twist.

Not exactly the direction I thought he would be takin' this album when it was described as "dark" and "swampy" but I'm still totally digging both of these tracks (Oliver Twist a little more).

Down There should be leaking pretty soon considering the amount of people who have it. I can't wait to hear it in it's entirety since apparently these songs are even better in context.

Hell yes. I approve of Oliver Twist. It better leak soon.

10-07-2010, 12:13 PM	#346 (permalink)
Jonny Redshirt Music Addict Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 64	Comparing Animal Collective to your average pop band, they are strange and offbeat. If I ever heard "Peacebone" on modern top 40 radio, I think I'd die of a heart attack. And I love "Peacebone". On the other hand, Merriweather Post Pavilion is a fairly normal album for Animal Collective. Maybe that's why I don't care for it so much - their weird arrangements made their "Normal pop music" unique and interesting. Of course, when they were too weird (Danse Manatee) they were basically unlistenable. Hence why I think albums like Feels and Strawberry Jam are their best work. __________________ "Colleges are like old-age homes, except for the fact that more people die in colleges." Last.FM

10-06-2010, 10:29 PM	#343 (permalink)
clutnuckle Music Addict Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: -_-_-_-_~__~-~_-`_`-~_-`-~-~ Posts: 1,276	If something is useful, how can reading into its intricacies not be useful? Understanding how a car battery works is just as important as the car battery itself. Genre-tagging is the same way. If you're going to bother doing it, do it with aptitude is all I'm saying.