Following an outstanding 2003, which included the release of 3 albums, a split 12" and separate tours with both mum and Four Tet, Animal Collective return in May 2004 with a stunning new album of modern folk pop for FatCat's Splinter Series.

Whilst restricted distribution and limited pressings has meant that previous releases have slipped somewhat under the radar, a serious buzz has been steadily building around the group and we believe that this album has the potential to make them really big news.

Listen in and you will hear traces of all manner of influence - from the crazed whooping and chanting of classic Holy Modal Rounders, to the pure and perfect songcraft of Simon and Garfunkel or The Beach Boys, to Syd Barrett, The Incredible String Band and the productions of Joe Boyd, to elements of the Brazilian tropicalia / pop psychedelia of artists like Gilberto Gil or Milton Nasciemento, or the more modern sonic explorations of friends and labelmates Black Dice or labels like Mego or Kompakt. But rather than simply forging or pastiching their inspirations, Animal Collective instead let their spirits melt into a fertile, creative vision that is passionately driven and distinctly their own. What results is an intoxicating blend that is unique, coherent, hugely addictive and simply quite unlike anything else around.

In their 'Sung Tongs' incarnation, Animal Collective is once again the duo of Avey tare and Panda Bear, and this is perhaps their most perfect, accessible work to date, a luscious flowering and flowing together of deeply catchy, hook-filled songs and intricately textured arrangements. Built around the core elements of Avey and Panda's gorgeous vocal harmonies and twin acoustic guitar strumming, the album has been lovingly worked through the studio to provide a rich and fully expansive mix of stunning sonic depth, detail and placement.

Recorded in a house in rural Colorado, and engineered and mixed by Rusty Santos, 'Sung Tongs' is a dazzling, bold and adventurous pop album. Diverse in its scope and yet fully coherent, the album moves from chiming acoustic guitar songs to gentler, more dispersed picked ballads, to sprawling, guitar-swell psychedelics, bubbling, acid-warped vocal fx, and tribal, almost shamanic trance-outs based around around looping vocals and hypnotic kick-pulse...

Released on cassette as part of Cassette Store Day 2013.

Read More