Animal Collective - My Girls, Live at Pitchfork 2008

[IvyNirvana]

AHHHH PITCHFORK CONCERT FULL OF HIPSTERS!!!

[juanpiskate00]

I came out of the closet today.

[elementjey1]

@juanpiskate00

live on man good for you

[psitshaley]

When i go to their concert im so gonna roll :)

[cmatthews926]

Why don't they drop the bass? Fucking cock tease.

[isaikid]

or from the studio... rather

[isaikid]

they suck live!! don't hit notes in the studio you can't hit live!! don't play stuff in the studio you can't play live!! it's misleading and disheartening to hard working, ticket paying fans.... i don't care if their creativity leads them to do it differently live... at least keep it in the ballpark and give me something remotely close to the studio version!! after all, that was the initial feeling!! the song i first heard in the studio

[rlouiegames]

@isaikid You realize this video is from the summer of 2008 right? And that MPP didn't come out until early 2009. They create their songs on the road and play them live long before making an album version. Your logic is backwards. If anything you should be asking them to make their album versions sound more like their live version, because that's what came first.

[isaikid]

@rlouiegames you got me there... i wasn't aware of that. hmm. well my point could be made for many a band... even so... i better not catch them playing that song on the road without drums or i'll be pissed

[rlouiegames]

@isaikid Yeah, you're definitely right about many other bands having that problem, but with animal collective it's very different. They like change and are always moving in a new direction, so their always creating something new. I was actually at this concert, and it was interesting to get a sneak peek at what their next album would be like. I just saw them again at Pitchfork last month, and I knew what to expect this time, lots of new stuff. Can't wait to hear what the new album now!

[TheOneartist]

@rlouiegames Lucky. I know the guy I'm getting shrooms from saw them, too.

Yeah, the closest they've had to a new album since MPP has been ODDSAC, which is a visual album and 4 years in the making. The next one will be interesting, but I've got to go backwards and listen to their other works. People bring up Strawberry Jam and Feels a lot, as well as their solo stuff.

[TheOneartist]

@isaikid Watch the David Letterman performance of "Summertime Clothes". Almost exactly like the studio version, complete with vocal effects.

But my impression is they usually like to stretch and loosen up their vocals when they perform live. Which I think is a good unique quality. Also, as the other commenter said, this was a year before MPP came out.

[jermgig]

sounds like shit live.

[klnswede]

Sure My Girls is their worst song... hahaha if you have no soul!

[bassguy10]

kids down there = hip as fuck. quit arguing.

[PuffBunny1]

Must be something with the foldback.

[PuffBunny1]

I love AC, but I will admit, They tend to get the vocals off key by a few cents, It's always in the back of my head unfortunately. Love this song.

[Sheeeeepies1]

They should do something to organise all the instruments and things so they can be more mobile on stage and have more of a presence, the music was great though.

[7Feet12]

Animal Collective has two sides. One side is the poppier side which is more accessible. The other side is the uber trippy dreamy side where vocals shine. I wouldn't say that this is their worst song, but there are many better songs that they have made.

[B33fisGud]

I wish i was Geologist.

[foogler17]

they sound so much better live!

[thedarkesthole]

Man you people are dumbasses. This is obviously the only animal collective song you know, and you're upset that it doesn't sound exactly like the album. Ive listened to every album a thousand times, but been to zero live performances. When they came to michigan, i couldn't afford to go see it. But I would kill to see them perform them how they practice them. The album sounds the way it does cuz they do a thousand takes. It makes it amazing, very psychedelic and trip-enhancing. Go learn about art

[KadajxYuffie]

Wow..some people who write these comments....It's their song, they can sing it the way they want to. So stop complaining.I agree with everything ejdrouillard said. :)

[smallkill69]

God that would be fucking awesome.......

[pizzaROX]

AT 1:03

everyone put their phone up at the same time. that was scary.

[LeperAffinity]

@pizzaROX aaahahahah yeah mate

[dnek1]

great performance, great song, great band.

lame, dead crowd. does the audience even want to be there? if i were at an AC show, I'd be way more into it

[skateHEAVEN1212]

@dnek1 everyone was probably stoned off their ass transfixed by those lights. i would be the same way

[Krieg3]

rubliwhplar why are all your favourited videos videos of girls? damn bro, pretty sad if you ask me. plus, AC are deadly singers. so you're either tone deaf or just being ignorant!

[coolnesss16]

there missing so much bass it's like the song is floating. they also need to sing with more force and melody.

[rubliwhplar]

Wow, these guys can't sing. At all. They're 100% a product of the studio, like a boy band for adults. Very disappointing.

[Shibokuhidesato]

@rubliwhplar It's this song. Seriously. Watch them play brothersport or fireworks. The majority of their music doesn't have vocals in the first place, only the more recent albums. The thing is they never play songs live after they've been released on the LP.

[alliant]

@rubliwhplar

ahahaha. man you're a downer. they're 100% trying to make people happy through psychedelic sounds which, FUNNY ENOUGH LOL, millions of people are enjoying. I think that's fair enough? you're a rude, close minded, cynical square. no generalization, you made it clear that you weren't paying attention.

[shopgirl157]

It's a greta song, but a bit boring on stage. It looses a lot. It needs more ummmf.

[Shootout518]

Any band you have to do a drug to understand is a terrible band. baaaaaaaaammmmmm.

[Jackass922]

You don't don't necessarily HAVE to do drugs to understand Animal Collective, but they do help.

[yaitsreallyme]

what kind of music do you listen to?

[Shootout518]

Everything pretty much. Jazz, Funk, Rock, Hip-hop, some classical. I try to keep an open mind with music. My initial comment (which has been blocked) was not suppose to be negative. I just was wondering what this music was about. I still don't see the appeal. They are simply not for me.

[ilovemutemath]

understood. Experimental music is weird, but I love it.

[Shootout518]

Oh yea experimental music is great. You should look up Miles Davis's bitches brew or in a silent way.  Shit is cash.

[erocker2020]

@Shootout518 Bitches Brew is the most amazingly complex piece of music, one of my favorite albums all time.

[youngsunmusic]

@Shootout518 Hell fucking yes it is... one of the most terrifying brilliant albums of all time.

[DimebagsLeftToe]

wow, youre so musically enlightened

[Shootout518]

damn right.

[astm37]

magnificent.

[jabob4444]

We don't understand why you are leaving comments then?

[mikey41414141]

try smoking weed and it will all come together

[mzzk]

more like try some acid and it MIGHT come together

[bizarrofarts]

actually they kick ass live. you have to be there. schutatos?

[scarlettdrawl]

Ifyou think they can't perform live check out their performace of summertime clothes on letterman. I like it better than the album version. the singing is excellent.

[numbersnmumbless]

A big fuck you to everyone questioning their skill.

BIG FUCK YOU

[bicycledays]

The CD is fun, but these guys suck live. As mentioned earlier, and I agree, they lack skill in their live performance, they even sing off tune. Get someone to burn you the CD. But skip the live show.

[andnowfocus]

Because singing perfectly is so animal collective. Actually, they are fucking awesome live.

[CanningParrsboro]

I see you must have seen them live.

[fonzythedog]

My god, these guys are absolutely lame live. Their albums are pretty awesome however. I think the main problem is that since they use so many effects and techniques in the studio - they'll never be able to replicate it fully. The most saddening thing is the hideous off-key singing. As I said, I still love these guys.

[TurtleDrunk]

I just wanted you to admit that this is simply your opinion, now that you've done that, all is well. I just don't like when people post their opinion up and act as if they have some type of officious knowledge of the subject, or are able to make a judgment that others should consider.

[Lucanio]

An opinion is something that can't be proved with evidence. It's obvious when something's an opinion and shouldn't have to be stated as one. If you need someone to tell you that what they're saying is an opinion you're kind of dumb.

[TurtleDrunk]

I run into this lots with "lead" players (i.e. guitars, trumpets, sax players, those at the front of a band). They get intimidated when the ability of their ancient instrument is shown to be outdated and tiny compared to the vast tableau that new instruments can create. They decide to say it's a bad performance. Elitism isn't new to music, there was a time when the guitar was looked down upon because it had frets...and only wusses should need them. I can't wait til MPCs are outdated.

[frottery]

They also get annoyed when skill is removed from performance altogether and stuff like this becomes popular, as it reminds them that the mass populous is uninformed / talentless and don't see through it.

I'm a drummer. I love digital drums, I love triggering samples. I love writing sequenced patterns. But I then go on stage and perform it, I don't go up there and press [trigger 1] to play an 8 bar pattern.

[TurtleDrunk]

This gets back to the misapprehension. You are assuming that because trigger 1 has an 8 bar pattern, that nothing else is being done on stage. Unfortunately, as music has progressed, live performance has become less intensive. Form 50-piece orchestras, to 5-piece Jazz ensembles, to 3-piece rock bands, and now most of the work is impossible to perform all over again, just because you're on stage. How about this exercise, prove why skill is required for music or its performance to be good.

[frottery]

That's a strawman. I'm saying that everything done on stage by them is not skillful.

Skill is only required because that is the definition of good music to the individual. AC is skillful in the studio, thus the albums are good to me. Of course, if you don't care about skill it doesn't matter. But you cannot then argue that they actually are skilled when performing.

Pressing a button to play a complex 6/8 time sample is not skillful. Actually playing the complex 6/8 time pattern is skillful.

[TurtleDrunk]

Not a straw man, an attack on your basic assumption. You assert a presumption that "skill...is the definition of good music to the individual." I assert that your presumption rests on nothing but your personal preference. Indeed, your presumption is not concrete, because some people think AC puts on a good show, regardless of whether you think you know more about music and skill than they do. You also presume that skill creates music that is good, but this position isn't logical, it's an opinion

[TurtleDrunk]

There is no reason to be annoyed that skill is removed. Why should you be? I, personally, am a skilled jazz bassist, pianist, and theory nerd. I am not foolish enough to think that makes me a good performer or songwriter. Performance and songwriting isn't a skill, it's a combination of talent, dedication, skill, passion and luck. The reality is that you are simply asserting your own (fairly outdated) opinion, not a logical analysis. Arts change, they challenge convention, that's what they do.

[frottery]

Of course there is. This is skillless, and I might as well listen to a CD player. You keep conflating things. I never said that skill is the ONLY requirement to being "good." I have no idea how you can enjoy unskilled music when there is literally nothing else occurring. You claim there is more happening, but I hear someone singing off key, with a bunch of samples.

This is not challenging anything outside of running a credit card at guitar center for samplers.

[metaphysicslab]

Music is not just playing tones.

It requires skill to produce the energy that they produce.

[frottery]

"Performance and songwriting isn't a skill"? You're inventing someone to argue with, because I never stated that.

The logical analysis here is that these guys lack skill live. Are you really arguing this point that their performance sucks (you weren't when you stated "Sadly...it's not so impressive live. ")

This is not challenging anything, you keep tossing around this idea like they're visionaries or doing something outside of TRIGGERING SAMPLES WHICH WAS DONE BY KRAFTWERK 40 YEARS AGO

[frottery]

My quote is "Skill is only required because that is the definition of good music to the individual. "

REQUIRED is a key word. You can't remove that from my quote and claim you have any clue as to what i'm assuming. My point agrees with you, that it is up to the individual to assert guidelines as to what makes the music good.

As I've stated:

They have no skill live, having skill live is required for me to believe they're good live, thus I don't believe they're good live.

[frottery]

For your reference

"This gets back to the misapprehension. You are assuming that because trigger 1 has an 8 bar pattern, that nothing else is being done on stage." is the strawman.

Where did I say anything about what else is being done on stage? You invented that and rambled on, arguing me with some random point you invented. My statement was hitting a trigger to play 8 bars of music is always going to be less skillful than actually playing the 8 bars of music. That is the foundation.

[Emyrsaurus]

shut it and stop debating

[willm1105]

yes when it comes to creativity, production and studio work, acc is unbeatable. i think its mainly their style though that limits them when live not their ability

[SingMeALullaby16]

this was pretty amazing! I want to see them the 8th so bad!

[maddonwilt11]

Animal Collective just rules.

[LotusJet]

Damn, too bad his voice is off key or it'd be a good live track. Of course the studio recording is great, but who was singing on it and why the hell arent they singing it right now?

[thedarkesthole]

@LotusJet Look man. PANDA BEAR sang on the album. He probably took a few takes per line, to get the pitches right. That isn't the point. THe live performance is about the energy and the creativity and doing it different. Panda sounds amazing on all his albums. But its the same fucking guy.

[LotusJet]

@thedarkesthole I believe ya. I've never seen them live but I'll take your word for it. Though i'll be honest, i'm no hardcore fan, the only song i've really ever liked was My Girls, to which some may say i'm retarded, but it's just how it is, I can't help what i like and don't like.

[thedarkesthole]

@LotusJet My Girls is probably there worst song.

You should listen their masterpeices. like What Would I Want? Sky. or Who Could Win A Rabbit or the outstanding No More Running. the full version of Panda Bear's "Bros" is my favorite song of all time. Trust me. Look into this group. I'm very critical of music, have been my whole life. but this band is truly my first and only 10/10.

[jgunty]

@thedarkesthole My Girls is AC's worst song? As you may know, Pitchfork ranked My Girls at #1 in their Top 100 songs of 2009. You should read their argument for the claim. Sure, Pitchfork is often brash, but they are professional critics too. So I'm wondering, what are the critical criteria by which you judge My Girls as AC's worst song, and how do you respond to Pitchfork's points?

[thedarkesthole]

@jgunty oh i'm basing that entirely on opinion my man. Pitchfork is doing great things, and i'm very glad they support this band so much. But its like, what I love about animal collective is the avant garde element, and sadly that is somewhat lacking in My Girls. But do you think that stops me from blasting the song in my car? it doesn't. I still love it. I'm just saying in comparison to alot of their other work, especially early work like STGSTV and danse and recently Fall Be Kind.

[jackeebutler]

@thedarkesthole I agree that What Would I Want? Sky is better (that song is a masterpiece), even In Flowers knocks me out more than My Girls, but this song still incredibly likeable.

[thedarkesthole]

@jackeebutler Oh man, definately. In the Flowers could knock anyone out. what a great track.

[thedarkesthole]

@LotusJet their*

[frottery]

Yawn. They are pressing buttons on samplers and sequencers. There are more than a few things automatically happening on stage. The "feel" that you see is their ineptitude at singing. Sorry but turning knobs on a mixer is hardly an artform. I love electronic music and I don't see the need to validate it from the point of view of a traditional band. Soon as you remove the idea they're performing with them coordinating the machines to run through their programs, you might enjoy it for what it is.

[Strutlikejesus]

I agree to some extent, but we are watching a video of a live performance here. A live show is not meant to be viewed in this medium, therefor I never pass judgment on a bands ability to perform live based on watching youtube videos.

[frottery]

That's fair, but you can't get around the fact that they're hardly doing anything, and the bits they are clearly doing they're not very good at. Singing being most of that. I like MPP as an album, I can tolerate the band. What's annoying are folks posting about how amazing of a "performance" it is. They need to get out more

[cocomo504]

Simple question: if it's that easy, why aren't you doing it? The fact that technology has made things easier (for everything..not just music) is now some sort of a weakness? Why re-invent the wheel?  Have a little respect for creativity.

[frottery]

My point is I don't value the "performance" of pressing simple buttons on a sequencer, and you think I should do it? Odd. How about this, why don't they just push play and have the machines do everything instead of 95% of the song? Again, I enjoy the creativity of the album, but having synths do your music for you is the opposite of creative. Bands who have the same complexity but actually perform the songs are simply superior.

[maddonwilt11]

I disagree. It takes time for the band to create a way for the samplers and electronic elements of the song to work together, and that in itself is an acquired art. Because Animal can incorporate everything from samplers to electronics to keys to guitar to a tribal like savage drum in their show, it simply makes their shows so interesting to watch. They have taken so much time to time and syncopate their beats (which they do all the time, and must be so hard), that each live show is amazing.

[frottery]

Thanks for the primer on what it takes for a band to create, but pressing play on a synth is not the same as performing it. Having machines "syncopate their beats" (syncopation is a function of making beats, not an action which creates them). They're really popular live amongst folks who aren't aware / don't care that they're fairly remedial. Nothing wrong with that. Bottomline is if you think what they do is hard, then actually performing all the music must be harder.

[xxgg55]

I agree with you frottery

[juancnerio]

that is so retarded. every show i've seen the songs sound so different. are you also a collector of Beta tapes and 8 tracks? you sound so old and dated.

[frottery]

Yes, pressing the sampler button 3 times instead of 4 is something that is new and fresh. Forgive me, I'll go and listen to my magnetic wire spools while I try to figure out the present.

[frottery]

That is a simple question.

The fact is that technology has made things easier since kraftwerk did this 40 years ago. Every once in a while there's a wave that tries to claim sampled music is the brave new world, then those bands disappear never to be heard of again as their performances are terrible. MPP is an amazing record, especially if you think people are actually performing it. Then you discover it is just samples and that diminishes it's quality. Still great, just not as much.

[TurtleDrunk]

Frottery. You're under a misapprehension. Samplers enhance and expand sonic ability, not musical talent. They don't take work out of producing sound either. I've been a pro musician for years, I can tell you jamming makes songs appear faster than the onerous work of perfecting your samples. Sadly...it's not so impressive live. To make it really work, one person on samples is enough, two more on percussion ensemble and maybe guitar would be great, even if they help with samples in production

[frottery]

I'm not misunderstanding anything. Sampled music is boring live, just as you say. I think MPP is a great album, but people using samplers live is not very interesting.

Most digital synths are really just sampled sounds, and that works. But pressing a button to play a sample is crap no matter how you rationalize it. Playing along with sequenced music is hard, I mean, you have to keep perfect tempo on one hand, but on the other you ARE basically playing along with a metronome.

[thedarkesthole]

@frottery You are an idiot.

[Somone23]

i was in awe this entire show. so good

[thedarkesthole]

@Somone23 I'm so jealous of you if you were actually there to see this show.

[ndubblove68]

see i think you have it wrong, this is animal collective live, its pure and its there true sound, they feel the music not play it they feed off eachother and the crowd

[drtchock1]

Wow, what's up with all of the hostility here?

The studio version of this song is amazing, and this version isn't so great. BUT, it's freakin' months before they went into the studio. It wasn't all of the way complete. Trust me, as someone who writes and records music, you learn a lot about your song when you're recording. This song was imcomplete during this performance because all of the nuances that come out during recording had not left their mark yet.

[stevnricke]

fuck these commenters.... this is MY SHIT, SON!

[stevnricke]

yeah they're pretty poppy... but there's a lot of good pop out there... idk why people think it's cool to hate on pop. Sure hate on britney spears and christiana aguilera n shit cuz they are garbage, but just remember Thriller....

[stankmasher]

wewerecool, Fucking stupid name by the way. Why are you even watching videos that aren't for dumb fucks? If you don't like it move on to some Pop bullshit.

[stevnricke]

wait.. you listen to their albums and then you get pissed at a live concert.... Do you like animal collective? Maybe you just don't like yourself.

[TheCondor24]

Only degenerates go to a concert wanting to hear the album cuts. If you want the album cut, stay at home.

[iLikeBAMFs]

Obviously you don't expect to hear the SAME thing as on the cd!

but when it doesn't sound ANYTHING alike- instrumentals OR vocals... then that questions the band's natural talent vs falsely produced sound...

don't get me wrong... Animal Collective is amazing, and so are their songs.

but you can't deny that this live version falls very short.

[themushup]

booooo

you stink

[iLikeBAMFs]

lol i stick cuz im right :P

the most retarded part is i'll probably end up going to their concert next month anyways, cuz I like them... we shall see.

[iLikeBAMFs]

stink**

[KenshiRyden]

To me it seems they've just simplified it; rather than 'selling out' and providing a pumping explosive live experience (which would be easily reached by just slamming on a big bass drum line and flashing lights), they pull it back and make it about the essence of the song, and their talent. Lovely, not a choon like the album version, just different.

[KenshiRyden]

Ah also the Vocal line is almost exactly the same aside from the outbursts from the drummer, it's just not perfect like the album version and has less special effects (reverb etc). The music is the same notes, just at different pitches.

[buttaflutta]

What you get on the album can be the result of many shows worth of performances. This performance was recorded about 6 months or so before the album came out.

[ejdrouillard]

You don't go to an Animal Collective concert to hear anything like the album tracks. They're not minstrels who happily repeat the same song in the exact same way for five years - they change the songs as they please and give every crowd a unique musical experience. It's a testement to their talent and creativity, not an indictment of it.

[iLikeBAMFs]

I've seen MANY shows live and I know what it sounds like to put a twist or change up the original version of a song for a live performance... 9 times out of 10 its a success and the crowd loves it...

too bad this isn't one of those times...

its supposed to make the live experience better- not dumb down the song with off key notes (i was actually going to look for a specific section- but there were a lot)... and worse instrumentals.

[iLikeBAMFs]

ps. if you read the FIRST sentence i wrote on here- i know songs aren't usually how they are on cds... but i don't go to a show and pay money to hear a botched version of my favorite song.

[ndubblove68]

thank you, true fan

[JHsurferLA]

man i totally agree with you

[TheTwel]

@ejdrouillard as all music should be. Inject a little jam into everything!

[Bourne777]

@ejdrouillard anyway i miss drums:/

[SethGoTribe]

@ejdrouillard Exactly

[wewerecool]

siggghhh

i was here this night and i wanted them to be awesome so badly

but they were a disappointment

[bigcliffglenz]

Not the best tbh... One of my favourite bands but that's not inspiring at all...

[Raulness]

i like this band but i just can't take them seriously live.. honestly.. i can't pay to see something like this.

[andersersand]

WHAT?!!!!!!

[salmusmcmalmus]

god hop

[Somone23]

god ....i can seriously not believe i was there...it was so crazy...its just almost a blur for me

[no1jailbreak]

cus u were probably stoned

lucky!

[daffyduckinhollywood]

thanks for capturing this performance with such a great sound quality, dude. I was at Pitchfork this year and Animal Collective blew me away (first time I had ever seen them live). Too bad their set was cut short due to curfew issues, even though the Union Park area can get dangerous at night. Getting mugged would have been worth an additional half hour of AC.

[djl548]

yeah... dude i wouldve given half my fingers off my left hand for an additional SONG of AC that night

[KoddFiN]

anyone know where i can get an mp3 of this song??

[schmitty3]

go to the collected animals forum

theres lots of mp3s of their new stuff

[WalterPeck]

They didn't get around to playing brother sport at pitchfork because of the curfew. Arggghhh! Thanks for these killer videos though.

[Zvanunhoft]

love this song..great quality.. do you have brother sport?