When experimental pop band Animal Collective made a triumphant, sold-out swing through Los Angeles last month, we took the opportunity to record a session with them at the Village recording studios, taking advantage of the space to soak up the group’s eye-catching visuals, which play a big part of their performance, as well as their general aesthetic. Heck, even their new album is called Painting With, which suggests a desire to play with sound & color in their music. You can see this in the following video of their live performance of “Golden Gal” from that session, a track that also playfully inserts a sample from the TV show from the late 80s:
I had the pleasure to chat with the guys – Avey Tare, Panda Bear & Geologist – about the making of this album, its use of samples (including a KCRW-centric one in “Hocus Pocus”) and life as a band living in three different parts of the world.
You can check out the whole live session (including a fascinating cover of the Martha & the Vandella’s classic, “Jimmy Mack”) here!