Animal Collective
EP: ‘Prospect Hummer’
FatCat records
12” vinyl released exclusively for Record Store Day on 18/04/2015
Almost exactly ten years since its original release on FatCat, Animal Collective’s ‘Prospect Hummer’ EP is being re-issued as a Record Store Day exclusive on April 18th. Previously only available on CD and digitally, the record is this time made available in a first-ever vinyl pressing in a limited edition of 1,500 copies (UK / Europe). The record comes with outer and inner sleeves, both of which feature full colour artwork, and the recording has been specially re-mastered for vinyl.
‘Prospect Hummer’ was the last release to see Animal Collective operating in a largely acoustic singer-songwriter / freak-folk mode, and three of the EP’s four tracks feature the sweet, distinctive vocals of cult singer-songwriter Vashti Bunyan, whose last abum – the brilliantly-received ‘Heartleap’ – was released by FatCat at the end of last year.
The idea for this EP germinated during a 2003 tour which saw Animal Collective (playing as an Avey Tare / Panda Bear duo) supporting Four Tet across the UK. Having long been huge fans of her sole album at that time (the rediscovered 1970 gem, ‘Just Another Diamond Day’), Animal Collective happened to meet Vashti when the tour passed through Edinburgh (Four Tet’s Kieran Hebden having recently played as part of Vashti’s band during her first live set in over 30 years at the Royal Festival Hall). Following this meeting, ideas were hatched and conversations began, culminating in the group selecting these three beautiful songs for Vashti to make a home in.
‘Prospect Hummer’ was recorded by their friend Rusty Santos (who co-produced ‘Sung Tongs’) at Idle Luxury studios in London over three days in April 2004, whilst the band were were embarking on their second UK / European tour around their seminal ‘Sung Tongs’ album. The ‘Prospect Hummer’ EP was eventually released a year later in early May 2005, just a handful of months before their brilliant breakthrough album, ‘Feels’.
Largely acoustic-based, the record centres around the three harmonised vocal tracks, ‘It’s You’, ‘Prospect Hummer’, and ‘I Remember Learning How To Dive’. Weaving their luscious, multi-layered web around Vashti’s singing, these three tracks feature Animal members Avey Tare, Panda Bear and Deakin. A fourth track, the instrumental ‘Baleen Sample’ was completed later in the year, and includes samples from band member Geologist, who was absent from the Four Tet tour.
Tracklisting:
1. It’s You
2. Prospect Hummer
3. Baleen Sample
4. I Remember Learning How To Dive
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