Spirit They're Gone Spirit

Animal Collective, Avey Tare and Panda Bear | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 21, 2003)
• Original Release Date: 2003
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Fat Cat
• ASIN: B0000BXBYA
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #34,966 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Debut album from the eclectic group.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Noise, November 22, 2003

By 

Nathan Humpal (WI) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Spirit They're Gone Spirit (Audio CD)

The simple fact that it has taken three years for anyone to offer an opinion on this album speaks to an enormous injustice against it. The Animal Collective (which has swallowed up both of the artists on this album) is finally getting a bit more attention since the wonderful Campfire Songs, Here Comes the Indian, and this album, along with the incredibly inferior Danse Manetee, being issued by Fat Cat in England. But none of these releases comes close to the style and beauty of this first album. That is probably intentional, and perhaps, a good thing, as the album is so finely crafted and put together that a retread of its territory would almost inevitably be inadequate.

That being said, any recommendation of this album needs to come with a caveat: this is hardly easy listening. It may immediately grab you (as it did me), take a while to settle into, or quite possibly alienate you from the beginning and never reconcile the differences that have separated the two of you. The very first track blasts right out of the gate with incessant high pitched squeals and seemingly random noise bursts, but the track isn't an aggressive onslaught in the vein of Merzbow despite the initial appearance, instead there is a gentle pop song hidden beneath the ostensibly aggressive onslaught. Lyrics of childhood and innocence permeate the noise here and throughout the entire album. This incongruity is perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of the release. Had Avey Tare and Panda Bear simply picked twee pop or punk noise the album would be much more accessible, but instead they synthesize both genres despite the obvious inherent difficulties in such an undertaking.

The first track's high pitched squeal doesn't last through the whole album and some of the later tracks could probably even be inviting to the most casual listener, but there is always an underlying theme of darkness and noisy abandon, which is certainly intentional as the record's lyrics center around innocence lost... from an almost innocent perspective.

Complicated and beautiful, this is one of the most intricate and interesting albums in recent years and to let it slip into obscurity would be a horribly unfortunate crime. Though it may not be for everyone, the adventurous, and those willing to give an album some time to grow on them, should certainly give this a try.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Spirit they've gone dansing, October 2, 2006

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Spirit They're Gone Spirit (Audio CD)

Before the Animal Collective was called that (original name: Avey Tare, Panda Bear, Deakin and Geologist), they were already producing oddball music -- three full-length albums and a live performance. Their first two albums were "Spirit They're Gone, Spirit They've Vanished," and "Danse Manitee," a pair of radically different experimental albums. One is definitely inspired, while the other is amateurish.

"Danse Manitee" starts off with a strange whining sound, sort of like an electronic disturbance, in the oddly named "A Manatee Dance." That whining continues throughout the song, interrupted by sudden bursts of video-game blips. But the tone changes with the electro-thrash of "Penguin Penguin," an abstract collection of calls and drums, and ambient fuzzpop.

They continue to vary wildly in style throughout the album, noodling through hallucinatory pop, thumping rock interspersed with cries, muted acoustics, and the rippling distortion music, which is likely to give listeners a splitting headache. But there are some solid songs in the second half, like the murky "Throwin' the Round Ball" and folky "Ahhhh Good Country."

"Spirit They're Gone, Spirit They've Vanished" also opens with high-pitched distortion, which continues in a few songs after that, but it's a much easier album to embrace. After the intro, they launch into a screaming fuzz-rock beginning, which switches into the melodic pop of "April and the Phantom," complete with chirping birds and fast guitar.

From there on, the band tries out a variety of pop styles, all with the background noise and fuzzy edges that Animal Collective fans will expect. There's the gentle piano leading up to a dreamy "Penny Dreadfuls," the creepy Halloweeny "Chocolate Girl," the electro-cricket "Everyone Whistling," and finally finishing up with the twelve-minute pop melody of "Alvin Row," which seamlessly switches from pop to rock to experimental soundscapes.

Like many a double album, these two suffer from a simple problem: One is brilliant, and the other is... well, not. "Danse Manitee" is a fairly good experimental album, with some good electronics and vocals, but there's always the feeling of talented, inexperienced musicians who are just sort of noodling around, and not playing to their strengths. With most songs, there's the feeling that it could have been so much more.

"Spirit They're Gone..." is the reverse. Here, the now-Animal Collective is playing to their strengths -- catchy pop melodies, marinated in experimental sounds and pastoral noises. Basic guitars, drums and pianos are immersed in electronic noise and distortion, bell-like synth, and samples of crickets, birds and other things. And soft, crooning vocals are laid over the whole thing, making the softer songs seem almost lulling.

"Spirit They're Gone, Spirit They've Vanished" and "Danse Manitee" are worth checking out, whether it's for the experimental pop or for the die-hard Animal Collective fan, wanting to see the band's early days. One is great, while the other merely mediocre.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fair price for these two intriguing albums, June 14, 2004

By 

Walter T. Moynahan "AntediluvianSkeptic" (Austin, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Spirit They're Gone Spirit (Audio CD)

Animal Collective are a fun group. It's not hard to be intimidated by their musical sensibilities, but it helps (for myself, anyhow) to view them under the similar spiritual serio-comic light as Mr. Bungle or The Ruins, just to name a couple of bands with that sort-of scatterbrained sense of musical narrative.

The first disc: "Spirit They're Gone, Spirit They've vanished" is my favorite of the two. The hushed vocals, catchy melodies, and sparse instrumentation, and sometimes stupefying use of squeals and crackles; all undulating as though it where composed and performed on the sea. It's a bit hypnotic after a while...
These guys certainly know how to put a pop song together, and "April and the Phantom" shows that talent off beautifully(only it's waterlogged)
However, I don't recomend listening to this if you're in a tense mood, or even if, say, you've got sinus trouble or something.
You'll hear some high pitch tones that seems just below a dog whistle's. That high pitched shimmer in "Bat You'll Fly" for example..
I had to turn the treble down just a bit the first time I heard this so I wouldn't get a headache.

The second disc: "Danse Manatee" is more subtle. The sense of humour is still there, but the album has a slightly darker, disturbed quality. You might say I'm still on the fence over it, but I don't feel like I'm wasting my time listening to it.

All in all, this is probably the best place to start if you've ever been curious about Animal Collective.