Music Review: Animal Collective, “Meeting of the Waters, EP”

Music Review: Animal Collective, “Meeting of the Waters, EP”

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Animal Collective, the experimental pop group who’ve become mainstays in summer music festival lineups over the years, has released a new 4-track EP, “Meeting of the Waters.” Recorded on the banks of the Amazon River as part of “Earth Works,” a Viceland documentary series exploring the impacts of deforestation, the EP is immersed in the natural melody of the Amazon Rainforest. Not to overwhelm the background, Avey Tare and Geologist take a step back – strumming soft and singing as if not to disturb any sleeping creatures concealed, just out-of-sight, by the dense rainforest. The 13-minute opener, “Blue Noses,” is the best example of the artists working with the noises of the Rainforest as found material, while the most upbeat track on the EP, “Man Of Oil,” features in the background excerpts of a woman speaking in a soft, indistinguishable language. The melding of the environment and raw instrumentation gives the EP an overall improvisational feel, as if you and your fellow weary travelers have set up camp for the night, and sing around the fire until daybreak.