animal collective

I saw Animal Collective at the Enmore on December 11.

They were unbelievable. Thinking it's the best gig i've seen.

 

Before the doors opened a Hipster Collective filled quickly out front.

Seems skinny jeans are out and slim trousers have taken over. So has an indie-intellectual aesthetic, i.e. have a shower and polish ur boots.

 

Bachelorette played a support slot. Made my eyes dribble. Her accent made me cringe (kiwi).

Then Animal Collective came out and picked up their instruments (samplers/sticks). Noticed a weird art-banner at the back of the stage with a huge mermaid on it. It all seemed pretty placid.

 

Then INSANE lights started flashing in time with the music.

There were atomic strobe lights interspersed with red/blue/purple/green lights that flashed across the stage and inside tables the band’s equipment was on.

 

You've seen the cover art for their latest album Merriweather Post Pavilion? Do you like the optical illusion?

Well that mermaid banner DID THE EXACT SAME THING TO OUR EYES as the cover. The lights behind it made it appear to move back and forth. It was so trippy. Then the strobes would come on again. Then back to the marine colour lights. I was in a daze.

 

The mermaid and marine colours tied into the water motif running through their music. Seems to be Panda Bear’s influence; his solo work has water samples too. So well thought out.

Then the music. It was…wait for it…INCOMPARABLY BETTER THAN THE STUDIO ALBUM. They had long improv-type interludes between every song that sometimes went for 10 minutes. Then they'd lead into each track with tiny hints of a chord/riff and the audience went crazy.

Had some ravey beats and some hip-hop beats. I went from jumping up and down to being completely calm, depending on the songs they played.

 

After the gig came the Hipster Convergence. Spectators didn't want to kick on at a pub or go home. They all wanted to stand IN THE FUCKING DOORWAY.

Many of us were barged onto Enmore Rd. Made me happy.

 

Then we realised it was over. One of the last gigs Animal Collective would play for their Merriweather Post Pavilion tour. One of the last great gigs of the decade.

I wasn't down. Seeing them live confirmed their buzzband hype across the blogosphere. It's true. Animal Collective is unique. Their music represents our 'taste' in world music. It represents our post new-rave wardrobes. It represents the 'me' in all of us.

nostalgia

If you have time listen to this Animal Collective track as you read. They're touring Australia in December.

Animal Collective - Winters Love

On we press:

The shopfront window of a Surry Hills-based design company. Yes, those are toy cars in front of the sign...that's lateral thinking like a bon-bon in bachelor's briefs.

I revisited Esther Lane after my previous post. That first print installation was a bit worse for wear, but now has some company in the form of a sprayed on man-profile. Funny though. It's meant to be symmetrical, but is as balanced as an overdose.

And in my nostalgia i crept back to the Ray Hughes Gallery. I decided to see what the building's exterior looked like, then i thought "oh snap, there's paintings of Darlinghurst people!"

In my elation i realised the artist/s that created the following series, like, think outside the cabbage patch. They blend their subject into the surrounding environment so well - as we see with the "mouth" positioned on the face of this thigh-high wearing hooker silhouette.

The average stallion's non-erect phallus is 50cm in length. While mating, the stallion's wang will harden to DOUBLE the length and probably scare the shit out of you, causing you to lapse into a coma. Hours after you wake you'll still be trying to find your wife.

So, in this image, does Eros' bastard angel-child "bridge the missing link" in men and women's erotic journey? I think the inversely positioned halo and curling cock of the subject attest to that. Or that the chain isn't actually joined signals that men and women are irreconcilably different - and completely fucked, in love.

This follows the theme of life, love and the link that joins us all. White people.

Dear Artist,

I desperately appreciate your subject matter - life - and the raw means you use to convey your love of birth, a woman's bond with her child and the mystery of abandonment. Cause, like, where's the asshole father here? Are you being cryptic? Is the stallion angel the father? Will you teach me all you know, with your wise words whispered to the harmony of a thousand orgasms?

Love always,

Omar

Oooh, what's that in the bottem-left corner of the frame?

It's beautiful. A canary yellow splash of mid-labour placenta, dotted with pretty black butterflies. It's a nice touch to this piece because it's unexpected. It's spontaneous, and that, dear lovers, is what makes life so special. Hold on, I need some tissues for my pretentiousness.

"Loading Dock: No Parking. If you ignore this sign you must face the wrath of a hundred upside-down fanny mounds. Fluoro options available."

This is the front entry to the Brett Whiteley Studio. It's a must-see if you're in the area. It's a goldmine. Currently they've got the Iconic Whiteley exhibition, so if you like 'three dimensional' painted panels (i.e. a vagina is carved into a woman's painted body) and Dali-esque sculptures then this is for you.

We've seen this thumb man before on Baptist St, Surry Hills. The artist has chosen to increase the value of real estate on Rainford St by creating another three thumbs. This one is good-looking and i'd probably stick it in my mouth as i cry myself to sleep, wishing my mother could sing me one last lullaby.

On a point of note, the thumb is so viscerally powerful that its mere gaze illuminates the model. She is the only figure in this frame not masked in shadow.

Another thumb man. This one has a large forehead, signalling a definite need for lube. Nothing worse than a thumb half-jarred up your ass, no?