Pitchfork

Panda bears, rabbits, bees, ducks, banshees-- who knows what creatures Animal Collective will birth next? We do! Well, kinda. We have some vague, tantalizing information about various AC-related releases on the horizon, but we're all going to have to wait until the forest creatures are good and ready to give us the full details.

In March 2006, Animal Collective's label, Paw Tracks, will release a full-length from Terrestrial Tones, the duo of Avey Tare (Dave Portner) and his roommate, Eric Copeland from Black Dice. Should we expect double the yelping? Maybe, but we should definitely expect "experimental afro-pop" on at least part of the record, according to the label.

The 2000 Animal Collective LP Hollindagain will be reissued on Paw Tracks sometime next year, which is good news for everybody who didn't get their paws on one of the 200 original copies, which came in hand-painted (or paw-painted) sleeves.

Panda Bear (Noah Lennox) hasn't been hibernating on the solo recording front. He's got two vinyl releases in the works, one on Fat Cat / Paw Tracks, and one on UUAR, which will one day be compiled onto one CD. The UUAR release is a single entitled "I'm Not / Comfy in Nautical", which will be available on both seven inch and CD on November 22. The single was recorded in Lisbon, Portugal, Panda Bear's current home, and features "optimistic lyrics," triumphant melodies," "pitch perfect vocals" and "ambient rhythms," according to the label.

In other Paw Tracks news, Ariel Pink's House Arrest, originally released on the Ball Bearings Pinatas label, will be reissued on January 24. Pink is currently recording a new album, and plans to tour North America in February and March. The label has also signed a new band to their roster, with plans for a seven inch release in the spring, but the band is so new, they don't have a name yet. Of course, that only adds to the whole mystery thing going on.

Animal Collective are currently galloping across Europe on tour, with three measly dates in the U.S. in December. But don't worry-- a full-scale U.S. migration is scheduled for February.

Watch out for giraffricorns:

10-25 London, England - The Scala *
10-27 Amsterdam, Netherlands - The Paradiso
10-28 Brussels, Belgium - AB
10-29 Ghent, Belgium - Kraak Pauze Festival
10-30 Nantes, France - Soy Festival
10-31 Paris, France - Nouveau Casino *
11-03 Rome, Italy - Circolo Degli Artisti
11-04 Bologna, Italy - Il Covo
11-08 Frankfurt, Germany - Brotfabrik #
11-09 Munich, Germany - Zerwirk-Saal #
11-10 Berlin, Germany - Volksbuhne #
11-12 Utrecht, Netherlands - SJU Jazz Podium #
11-13 Arhus, Denmark - Voxhall #
11-14 Goteberg, Sweden - Nefertiti #
11-15 Stockholm, Sweden - Sodra Teatern #
11-16 Malmo, Sweden - Chokladfabriken #
11-20 New York, NY - Webster Hall $
11-21 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall %
11-22 Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theatre @

* with Aoki Takamasa and Tujiko Noriko
# with Storsveit Nix Noltes
$ with Amandine, Excepter
% with Octis
@ with Amps for Christ