Sung Tongs

Infobox Album | Name = Sung Tongs
Type = Album
Artist = Animal Collective


Released = June 1, 2004
Recorded = September 2003
Genre = Avant-garde music/Indie rock
Length = 52:50
Label = Fat Cat Records
Producer = Rusty Santos
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|4|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:cub8b5t4zsqh link]
*Drowned in Sound Rating-10|10 [http://www.drownedinsound.com/articles/9555.html link]
*"Mojo" Rating|4.5|5 May 2004, p.105
*Pitchfork (8.9/10) [http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/14954/Animal_Collective_Sung_Tongs 5/3/04]
*PopMatters (favorable) [http://www.popmatters.com/music/reviews/a/animalcollective-sungtongs.shtml 5/6/04]
*"Rolling Stone" Rating|3|5 [http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/6224097/sung_tongs 8/19/04]
*"Stylus" (A-) [http://stylusmagazine.com/review.php?ID=2033 6/1/04]
*Tiny Mix Tapes Rating|4|5 [http://www.tinymixtapes.com/Animal-Collective,2452 link]
*"Uncut Rating|5|5 Jun 2004, p.85| Last album = "Here Comes the Indian" (2003)
This album = "Sung Tongs" (2004)
Next album = "Feels" (2005) |

"Sung Tongs" is the fifth studio album by New York-based band Animal Collective, released on May 3, 2004 by Fat Cat Records.

Despite the name 'Animal Collective' attached to this album, only two of the band's four members play on it: Avey Tare (David Portner) and Panda Bear (Noah Lennox). As a result, "Sung Tongs" is a more stripped-down affair than other Animal Collective releases. On the album, Avey and Panda both utilize acoustic guitars and tribal-like drums; the electric guitar, an important element in the Collective's previous album, Here Comes the Indian, is nowhere to be found. This sound brought the band closer to the psych folk and freak folk genres that critics tended to group them in around this period.

"Sung Tongs" is generally considered to be Animal Collective's breakthrough release; it generated much praise from critics upon its release and was frequently featured in best-of lists at the end of 2004.

Recording

On the Collected Animals message board, Avey Tare explained the process of recording "Sung Tongs" [http://rerz.net/ac/messages/viewtopic.php?t=1324] (the following quote is copied verbatim):

"Yeah, we recorded it on the same tascam 48 (half inch 8 track) that I recorded Spirit on and the drums guitars and early electronics for Danse Manatee. That is we recorded the acoustic guitars and the vocals on 8 tracks. Then we mixed it down on Rusty's laptop and recorded many vocal and percussion over dubs. He's been using that for years. We mixed it from that onto....something..(i cant remember) at Noah's mom's place in Baltimore. It was very cold so we had to wear jackets the whole time. We added in all those samples and electronics there. We mixed for awhile so its sweet you like the mixing. Oh and we used AKGs and an old ribbon mike to record with. Though we had a pzm and some sm57s that we might have used as well. I remember using the pzm to record me slamming the door of the house which is what that distorted rhythm track in kids on holiday is. The person talking at the beginning of Who Could Win A Rabbit is someone in a deli in my neighborhood."

Track listing

# "Leaf House" – 2:42
# "Who Could Win a Rabbit" – 2:18
# "The Softest Voice" – 6:46
# "Winters Love" – 4:55
# "Kids on Holiday" – 5:47
# "Sweet Road" – 1:15
# "Visiting Friends" – 12:36
# "College" – 0:53
# "We Tigers" – 2:43
# "Mouth Wooed Her" – 4:24
# "Good Lovin' Outside" – 4:26
# "Whaddit I Done" – 4:05

Awards

* #9 in Pitchfork's Top 100 Albums of the Decade's First Half (2000-2004) [http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/feature/40568/Staff_List_The_Top_100_Albums_of_200004_Part_Two/page_5]