Animal Collective – Hollinndagin (Paw Tracks)

Rescuing their obscure 2002 live album from eBay hell, The Animal Collective have re-released Hollinndagin on their own Paw Tracks imprint. It harks from their 2001 live shows alongside Black Dice, where they toured the US to often disinterested or downright hostile crowds. In fact Hollinndagin is the only documentation of their live set from this period and these songs never appeared on any of their future albums. Though songs might be too strong a word to describe what’s happening here. It feels incredibly loose, almost like improvised jams with a series of signposts spread throughout to guide the way- despite the fact that the likelihood is that it’s highly arranged. It’s also highly textural work where it feels like they are actively reaching towards the precipice that divides the song and noise. There’ plenty of that tribal percussive wailing that builds into sweet energetic chaotic crescendos, the raucous energy that would later rear its bastard head on Here comes the Indian though surprisingly also moments of pure textural sound art which almost belies the fact that they’re on stage. It’s easy to see why audiences may have struggled with this as it is a demented twisted brew that’s making no effort to even pay lip service to conventions. It’s also incredibly self indulgent, which is great, because it feels like they are making zero concessions to the audience and their expectations. In 2001 this crazed aimless brew would have sounded to most people like it came from Mars. I can say that with authority because it still does in 2006.