Bleep

20 years on from its release and it still feels like the indie rock world is trying to catch up to Sung Tongs. While lauded for swelling, audience intensive live and shows and a fluid inter-band dynamic, the Animal Collective oeuvre up to 2004, though still mighty, tended towards the arch and cerebral. Maybe it was the pairing down to simply a duo of Avey Tare and Panda Bear, or maybe it was just their time to indulge the Beach Boys fandom shared betwixt, but something flipped, and out came these twisted, but beautiful campfire singalongs and swirling natural ambience. Kicking off the most acclaimed phase of their career, Sung Tongs remains a singularly important release not just for Animal Collective but for indie rock as a whole. Their label home of some years Domino Records is rolling out the red carpet for the anniversary, including a newly unearthed live recording of the album in full by Avey tare and Panda Bear from a 2018 show at Los Angeles’ Theatre at Ace Hotel on vinyl and digital.