Spirit They're Gone, Spirit They've Vanished (studio album) by Avey Tare & Panda Bear

From AAL2014 06/23/2024 04:19

Legitimately one of the strangest albums I’ve ever heard. A lot of it is good (really good) but some of it is, of course solely by my estimation, pretty much pretentious nonsense.

This is a prime example of an album where it’s necessary to listen more than once before forming a proper and valuable opinion. There are so many sonic layers and often times the vocals are so buried in the mix it’s difficult to comprehend the lyrics without seeing them in front of you.

Very cool yet challenging album. Avant-prog-pop from the dimension just outside our understanding.

This album perfectly represents Animal Collective in the fact that it is so experimental and out there just like almost everything they have produced. This record is so unique I would struggle to name anything that is even remotely similar which is why I love this record so much. Every song matches the one before in tone, atmosphere and vocals making for an engulfing and cohesive listen. The music is also quite dark and melancholic at times as well which works so well and gives us a completely different view of AC. Also, the instrumentation is genius and the drum work is absolutely brilliant on every track. When you think about the fact that this is a debut record you really start to understand how incredible it was that these guys in their 20's created such a multi-layered and rich album with such intelligent lyrics and dark undertones. Overall, this record deserves to be up among AC's best and if you haven't heard this album yet then you have to listen to it.

A truly tortured and lonely album that almost seems to collapse under it's own sadness at times (Spirit They've Vanished, Untitled) as well as celebrate at others (Chocolate Girl, La Rapet). Of course none of these songs would have so much meaning without the juggernaut Alvin Row, a culmination of all the albums parts inside a single exploding track. An unfortunately overlooked album because of it's harsh sounds which, ironically, are there to envelope the listener in it's themes. One of the best of the 90's for sure.

A sonic exploration like few other albums. A manifesto to psychedelia at the turn of the millennium. A love letter to youth and the fearless exploration and experimentation it brings with it. A beautiful start to one of the best musical careers the 2000s would have to offer.

From JulianR 01/03/2018 06:13

A very unique album. And very interesting on first listen. I sense it is a strong grower

From Onater 12/23/2017 07:24

Easily Animal Collective's best album, and very different from the more experimental stuff they would do for the next couple of years and the more accessible stuff they would do after that. Yes it's noisy, yes it's weird, and yes it can be difficult to listen to, but there is this strange kind of nostalgia hidden in it that makes this one of the most otherworldly and beautiful albums I've ever listened to.

From Brad1770 12/16/2017 00:59

Terrific album and worth your time to digest properly. Give it time and multiple listens to fully appreciate everything here

From ledemoncleaner 12/23/2015 21:03

Absolutely excellent at certain points, but some of the ear rape on this album (especially with the high frequencies of the first song) can overshadow the truly gorgeous tunes on the album.

From PsychologistHD 09/11/2015 02:16

At times feels like the sonic opposite of Panda Bear's "Person Pitch", completely dedicated to being a harsh, but beautiful experience.

So, after doing some research and realizing Animal Collective was (and still is) one of the most influential and innovative bands of the last decade I decided to listen to all of their albums. So far this is the only one I have listened to, and man it is LOVELY. The first track is really annoying tho, but annoyingly hipnotic, and Alvin Row is a masterpiece.
I also read that later on these guys release their best albums, so there are 2 options about their discography:

1: It is absolutely INCREDIBLE and the first album is only the beggining of the awesomeness

OR

2: Their debut is really underrated and their most acclaimed albums (Strawberry Jam, Merriweather Post Pavillion) are just as good