More on Josh Dibb, aka Deacon from Animal Collective
Last week, I posted about how Josh Dibb, aka Deacon from Animal Collective, was raising money for charity.
There's actually much more to it than that.
I wrote a piece which appeared in yesterday's paper about Dibb's decision to take a leave of absence from the band after his father died a couple years ago.
Dibb removed himself from the daily business of the band, and worked on several projects that had nothing to do with music.
This gig at the Festival au Desert in Africa is the beginnig of Dibb's return to music ...
"I feel like I'm 18 again," he said. "I don't feel like I've been doing this for 10 years. ... I'm on totally uncharted territory."
Dibb is sad that he missed out on "Merriweather Post Pavilion," the album that established Animal Collective as a force to be reckoned with on the indie scene. But he stands behind his decision to go on hiatus.
"There are definitely moments where I'm really sad," he said. "I've missed a lot of things that have happened in the past few years. But I knew there was no way I could have done that. There were too many things going on in my life that I had to take care of."
Now that Dibb has taken care of those things, he feels ready to return to music. He's working on a solo album, which should be released this year.
(Baltimore Sun photo by Amy Davis)
Erik Maza is a features reporter at the Baltimore Sun. He writes for several sections of the Sun paper and contributes weekly columns on music and nightlife. He also writes and edits the Midnight Sun blog. He often covers entertainment, business, and the business of entertainment. Occasionally, he writes about Four Loko, The Block, the liquor board, and those who practice "
Comments
I can see why Deakin would feel sad for missing out on Merriweather Post Pavilion, I mean c'mon this is the album that really put Animal Collective out there as an indie pop force (as this blog already states). Of course, could you imagine how different the album would have been if it weren't for Dibb's absence? In my opinion, yes, the album created by the new "trio" version of AC is just short of flawless. It is brilliant, one of last decade's music treasures. But forgetting all that, I commend Deakin for his decision on his hiatus. I dig what he's doing with the charity work and his solo material. I'm honestly excited for that! Avey Tare's solo stuff has been less than impressive (Pullhair Rubeye?). Really, I give Tare credit for the guts to release his record in REVERSE form but I myself prefer the regular version. Reversed or irreversed, Pullhair Rubeye doesn't come close to the absolute mastery of Person Pitch. Panda Bear's previous were less than stellar. I have faith in Deakin, and I look forward to hearing his solo works, because lest we forget his contributions to everything Strawberry Jam and before. Let us hope one day Deakin returns to his natural AC habitat and once again bring balance to the avant-garde indie pop world.
Posted by: Damon | January 7, 2010 12:23 PM