Animal Collective Announce 'Feels' 20th Anniversary Reissue

Animal Collective has big news for those of us who are Feels-heads. To commemorate the seminal album’s 20th anniversary, the band announced two limited-edition releases, out on October 17. One of those is Feels 20th Anniversary, a reissue of the LP featuring a bonus disc with nine B-sides and unreleased demos, available on 3xLP, 2xCD, and digitally. Additionally, Animal Collective is releasing FEELSLive 04/05, featuring audio recorded during their 2004 and 2005 shows, which will be available on cassette and MiniDisc, as well as on streaming.

In his review of Feels, Jesse Jarnow wrote, “Everything melts for no good reason (but no bad one, either). Like an organic counterpart to its fellow Brooklynite experimentalists in the Fiery Furnaces, Animal Collective embraces the overtly difficult, all in the name of childlike exploration.”

To preview Feels 20th Anniversary, Animal Collective shared the demo for “Grass.” As someone who has listened to this album countless times over the past decade, it’s fascinating to see how a track I love so much evolved during the recording process. While the version of “Grass” featured on the album is bright and effervescent, this demo is more subdued, making the more outré elements like Avey Tare’s faint shrieks and discordant layers of instrumentation stand in sharper relief than the final version. Even with its pared-down approach, it’s moodier and brasher. Listen to “Grass (demo)” below.

Animal Collective Announce Feels 20th Anniversary Reissue and Live Album

Listen to "Grass (demo)" below.