''Meeting of the Waters'' is the ninth EP by American

experimental pop Experimental pop is pop music that cannot be categorized within traditional musical boundaries or which attempts to push elements of existing popular forms into new areas. It may incorporate experimental techniques such as musique concrète, al ...

band

Animal Collective Animal Collective is an American experimental pop band formed in Baltimore, Maryland. Its members consist of Avey Tare (David Portner), Panda Bear (Noah Lennox), Geologist (Brian Weitz), and Deakin (Josh Dibb). The band's work is characterized ...

, released first on

Record Store Day Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...

, April 22, 2017. It is the second extended play released by the band in 2017. The EP was recorded live on location in the

Amazon Rainforest The Amazon rainforest, Amazon jungle or ; es, Selva amazónica, , or usually ; french: Forêt amazonienne; nl, Amazoneregenwoud. In English, the names are sometimes capitalized further, as Amazon Rainforest, Amazon Forest, or Amazon Jungle. ...

. It is notable for containing many recordings of animal calls and some sounds being recorded underwater, as well as being documented in the

Viceland Viceland (stylized in all caps), and Vice TV in the United States, are brands used for television channels owned and programmed by Vice Media. Viceland launched on February 29, 2016, with two branded cable channels; the American version (rebra ...

series ''Earth Works''. This is the band's first release to feature only

Avey Tare David Michael Portner (born April 24, 1979), also known by his moniker Avey Tare, is a musician and songwriter who co-founded the American experimental pop band Animal Collective. He has released three solo albums, as well as three collaborative ...

(David Portner) and

Geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althou ...

(Brian Weitz) and currently the only to feature this particular lineup of the collective. In 2020, the band announced plans to donate a portion of the proceeds from the EP to

Cultural Survival Cultural Survival (founded 1972) is a nonprofit group based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, which is dedicated to defending the human rights of indigenous peoples. History Cultural Survival was founded by anthropologist David Maybur ...

, an indigenous rights charity. As the EP features recorded samples of music performed by the Tatuyo tribe in Brazil, a portion of the profits were directed to IDESAM he Institute for the Conservation and Sustainable Development of the Amazonupon its release for

. In a newsletter to fans, they wrote: "As we were guests in their he Tatuyo tribe'sworld, we feel it is only right to continue to show our gratitude."

Musical style

Regarding the one-time duo's aesthetic, ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

s Stuart Berman felt the EP "takes ''

Campfire Songs Camp songs or campfire songs are a category of folk music traditionally sung around a campfire for entertainment. Since the advent of summer camp as an activity for children, these songs have been identified with children's songs, although they may ...

'' off-the-cuff, on the spot ethos and exports it to a

Brazilian rainforest Brazilian commonly refers to: * Something of, from or relating to Brazil * Brazilian Portuguese, the dialect of the Portuguese language used mostly in Brazil * Brazilians, the people (citizens) of Brazil, or of Brazilian descent Brazilian may also ...

", referencing the group's 2003 record under the name

. The first track, "Blue Noses", he described as a "blissed-out

psych-folk Psychedelic folk (sometimes acid folk or freak folk) is a loosely defined form of psychedelia that originated in the 1960s. It retains the largely acoustic instrumentation of folk, but adds musical elements common to psychedelic music. Charact ...

meditation." Later in the review, he noted "Selection of a Place (Rio Negro Version)" as "a

lo-fi Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate choice. The ...

love song." Sputnikmusic's Veta also echoed comparisons to ''

'', with "Blue Noses" noted as a "throwback" to that record while being "peppered with psychedelic ambience that teases the ear."

Critical reception

Track listing

All tracks written by Animal Collective, except where noted. The track "Selection of a Place" later appeared on

's second solo album ''

Eucalyptus ''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, including '' Corymbia'', they are commonly known as euca ...

''.

Personnel

* Avey Tare -

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

* Geologist - electronics

References

{{Authority control 2017 EPs Animal Collective EPs