Avey Tare

Interview: Animal Collective on the “alien rock-‘n’-roll” sounds of Centipede Hz

This interview appears in ALARM #40. Subscribe here to get your copy!

Animal Collective: Centipede HzAnimal Collective: Centipede Hz (Domino, 9/4/12)

“Today’s Supernatural”

Animal_Collective_Today_s_Supernatural

What would it sound like if a band from another planet somehow heard early ’50s and ’60s rock and roll and covered it? This half-serious anecdote is how Animal Collective keyboardist Brian Weitz, better known as his stage name Geologist, frames his band’s ninth studio album, Centipede Hz. For as amusing as it is to imagine extraterrestrials clattering to The Hollies, Weitz’s rhetorical scenario points to the band’s creative motors at work, and how they manage to obscure influences beyond recognition.

Braids

Braids: Indie-Rock Balancing Act

For the young Canadian indie band Braids, a rise in popularity has meant increased promotional responsibilities. See how the band balances its time — as well as its multifaceted music — with the pressures of press.

Animal Collective’s Avey Tare to release first official solo record

Following individual collaborations and solo efforts by other bandmates, Animal Collective’s Avey Tare is releasing his first solo full-length, scheduled for release on October 26.  Down There (Paw Tracks), consisting of nine new songs, drifts away from the upbeat melodies of Animal Collective, illustrating a haunting atmosphere with murky sounds.  A crystalline pop buzz contrasts sloshy rhythms and drippy bass notes, reflective of the crocodile, one of Tare’s favorite animals.