Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
Great collaboration between two unique and inspired acts., 19 Jan 2006
Initially, I felt this EP was a little disappointing. I mean, there are only four tracks, and one of those is essentially an atmospheric instrumental. However, much perseverance and a lot of exposure - mixing it in with tracks from the Animal Collective's extraordinary new album Feels, as well as choice cuts from Bunyan's long overdue return, Lookaftering - and the songs have started to reveal themselves, like a flower, slowly but gracefully, coming into bloom. I suppose such analogies are fitting given how much both artists draw on pastoral imagery, with fields and trees and autumnal settings featuring heavily in their lyrics. This collection is no different... building around gentle instrumentation - which is further augmented by a buzzing back-drop of ambient electronica - over which, Bunyan's gorgeous vocals glide in to paint evocative little portraits within our minds!!The continually rolling sound of the opening track, It's You, is gorgeous stuff... with Vashti's lulled and dreamy vocals setting the mood for the rest of the EP. There are all kinds of little tinkling and twinkling effects on the song that really evoke a certain feeling of floating or drifting, an idea only taken further by the fluttering electronic effects, which occasionally coast in to disarm us, causing the song to stutter to a halt, whilst simultaneously, adding to that whole feeling of wandering through a misty, mossy moor. The title track is stranger still, building on a woozy backing melody and some rhythmic percussion. The vocals, both from Bunyan, and from the band on backing duties, are perfect, complimenting the hazy instrumentation, whilst continuing that pastoral dreamscape creation established on the first song. I love the lyrics too... a nice little story about a cat, which manages to overcome generic accusations of being too "twee" for it's own good and instead, ends up simply complimenting the lovely melody and Bunyan's truly gorgeous vocals. Baleen Sample is the longest track... a lengthy piece of atmospherics filled with ringing pianos, chiming guitars and frenziedly plucked harps (...and a host of other instruments and sound effects that I couldn't even begin to pick out). At first, it does seem like a bit of a stretch, never really progressing anywhere and probably making more sense on an obscure film soundtrack (as opposed to the penultimate track of a four-song EP). Subsequent exposure has changed my opinion slightly, with the band managing to create some quite wonderful little melodies that occasionally pop out at you from the mess of dissonant instrumentation; mostly when you least expect it!! It also ties in nicely with the rest of the album, continuing the sound and style of the two previous songs, and setting the scene for that gorgeous closing track, I Remember Learning How to Drive. This is the most song-like song on the whole album, with an obvious verse/chorus structure, some lovely guitar playing, a hint of percussion and some great hand-claps. Bunyan's vocals are, as ever, terrific, and the song tells a wonderful little story that wouldn't have been out of place on her first album, Just Another Diamond Day. It brings the collection to the perfect close and really leaves you begging for more. The Animal Collective is really one of the most interesting bands around at the moment, and this collection, along with great albums like Feels and Sung Tongs, is further proof of their genius. Bunyan, who has returned after a three-decade break with stunning new album, is a truly unique performer, and her hushed and sweet vocal style merges nicely with the prog, meets folk, meets ambient experimentalist style of the Collective. Let's hope that a full-length collaboration between these two unique artists appears sometime soon.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
Dreamy Summers, 17 May 2005
By A Customer
For some reason I was reminded a lot of Fennesz "Endless Summer" when listening to this record, althought instrumentally and soncially both albums are very different. I guess it was the general tone and the laidback vocals that combine to give one of the most blissful and lazy records I've heard this year. People expecting another Sung Tongs will be little disappointed, as this record lacks the urgency and sheer insanity of that record, and it harks back to earlier records such as Campfire Songs in its rather meandering attitude. Parallels can also be drawn with Panda Bear's heartfelt solo effort "Young Prayer" with the vocals, and Vashti Bunyan lends their songs a delicate touch with her harmonies.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
Humming along, 16 Jan 2006
Step outside of the mainstream for a moment, and you'll encounter plenty of wonderful bands and artists.
Among these are the band Animal Collective and the singer Vashti Bunyan, who join forces to create the "Prospect Hummer" EP. And it turns out that their styles mesh very well, whether it's Bunyan's tranquil folk, or Animal Collective's enchantingly offbeat pop ditties.
It starts with Bunyan singing softly over rippling guitars, before they blossom into a soft bed of strings, piano and murmurs. "It's You" is a very quiet song, but the bursts of barely-restrained music give the impression that Collective could easily have burst out of its boundaries.
From there on, things get a bit odder and poppier. "Baleen Sample" is a swirling psychedelic experience that is pleasant, though not musical. The remaining two songs are more accessable, with the title track as a bouncy little folk song with lots of people singing "wah wah wah wah!", and the final song as a skipping little guitar melody.
Many collaborations are done with all the wrong people. In the case of "Prospect Hummer," it's with the right people -- Collective makes lovely music, and Bunyan hs a lovely voice, and neither is trying too hard to take center stage.
Animal Collective strays a bit from their usual style, retaining the same flavour but making the music more restrained and folky, rather than being as deliciously weird as their individual albums. They do break loose in "Baleen Sample," with the swirling mix of claps, fast-strumming guitar, and countless indistinguishable instruments and noises.
Bunyan shines in particular in this. She gets drowned out at times in the title song, when other people are singing harmony with her. But the other songs show her beautiful, soft voice off to best advantage, paired with restrained guitars and little chiming bells. It's enough to make you race for her solo albums.
Vashti Bunyan and Animal Collective created a lovely, strange little EP in "Prospect Hummer," showing off their talents without diminishing the other performers. Here's hoping they collaborate again.
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