A surprise awaits the casual listener on Spirit They're Gone, Spirit Thay've Vanished. The mysterious Avey Tare and Panda Bear's disc was the first release on the Animal label. The packaging hinted to pastoral songs with acoustic guitar and percussion. Once the play button is pressed, the listener is taken on a demented journey through nature as bucolic as an H.P. Lovecraft story. On the first seconds of "Spirit They've Vanished," a shroud of buzzing and swooshing electronics reminds the listener it this is recorded in 2000. Soft processed vocals cut through and then a reference to Radiohead's OK Computer becomes almost obligatory. It will remain throughout the album, but only as a vague relation. After the dreamy first track, things really kick into gear. "April and the Phantom" is an exciting song with a drum'n'bass-like beat played with brushes on acoustic drums, simple melody, fast-strummed acoustic guitar, violent outbursts in the chorus (reminiscent of a trick Paul McCartney played with Wings), and the disquieting line "She ran out of nature" sung over and over. Powerful and quirky. Elsewhere on the album, heavy distortion and noise electronics clash with soft piano arpeggios. There is something of early David Bowie in both vocals and writing on "Everyone Whistling" and "Bat You'll Fly." The album closes with an untitled 13-minute epic. Avey Tare and Panda Bear may sound to you like an acoustic version of New Order visited by the genius of Bowie and entering the studio with Christian Fennesz or Cornelius. Quirky avant-pop where surprises abound but always stay on the catchy track. You might find them too weird for your straight tastes or too catchy for your weird tastes. Then again you might find them to be the best of both worlds. ~ François Couture, All Music Guide
Spirit They're Gone, Spirit They've Vanished is the first album by Baltimore based band Animal Collective, released in August 2000 under the name Avey Tare and Panda Bear. The album was released as a CD on the band's own Animal label (now known as Paw Tracks); only a very limited amount of copies were made. It has since been re-released as a double CD along with Danse Manatee in 2003 on FatCat Records.
All of the songs were written by Avey Tare (David Portner) from 1997 to 1999, except for "Penny Dreadfuls" which was written when he was 16 years old. Avey Tare and Panda Bear (Noah Lennox) recorded the acoustic guitar and the drums live onto a Tascam 48 1/2 inch eight-track reel-to-reel in Avey's bedroom in Maryland during the summer of 1999. The piano songs along with overdubs were recorded in Avey's parents' living room.
A Roland SH-2 synthesizer was used for the bass sounds. The drums were played with brushes to emulate the albums Ocean Rain and Forever Changes. Avey Tare would dictate what he wanted the rhythm to be through beatboxing. Other sounds, such as the majority of "Spirit They've Vanished", were created through the use of feedback loops.
Artwork
The original cover art was found by Avey who thought that it fit nicely. The album was intended to be released under Avey Tare's name alone, but he was so impressed by Panda Bear's drumming that he added Panda's name on the front cover. This method of choosing monikers for Animal Collective's recorded output--naming themselves after who played on each respective album--would last until 2003's Campfire Songs.
Included with the original release was an insert with the following story:
"Not long ago a young boy named Avey and his friend Panda Bear roamed the patch work which covers the land (some call it forest). They were looked upon by Pan and raised by fairies and the Angels of light who play deep within the Wood. 'Let's make the music of childhood,' Avey shouted one day as the two played. Panda thought this idea was a good one. 'I can use my magical Rhythm sticks and you can play your Sun harp,' he said. So the two began to create melodies and Panda brought rhythms from every direction while Avey sang. All of the songs were about wooden toys and invisible friends and filled with the light of the forest. This is the first group of songs they played."
Track listing
"Spirit They've Vanished" – 5:35
"April and the Phantom" – 5:53
"Untitled" – 2:59
"Penny Dreadfuls" – 7:59
"Chocolate Girl" – 8:28
"Everyone Whistling" – 1:00
"La Rapet" – 7:52
"Bat You'll Fly" – 5:03
"Someday I'll Grow to Be as Tall as the Giant" – 3:10
"Alvin Row" – 12:39
There has been some confusion about the album's tracklisting. On the original, limited release, the untitled track #3 was not listed along with the other songs. Since the tracklisting gave no corresponding track numbers to the rest of the songs, it was incorrectly assumed that tracks #4-10 were actually #3-9, and that "Alvin Row" had no title. This error appears in nearly every review of Spirit following its initial release in 2000. The 2003 Fat Cat reissue cleared up this misunderstanding by numbering the songs and leaving a blank space for track #3.
