Recorded largely on a screened-in porch in rural Maryland, Campfire Songs represents a significant change in sound and technique for the Animal Collective. Acoustic guitars have replaced the electronic effects of previous releases like Danse Manatee and Spirit They're Gone, Spirit They've Vanished, captured live on three strategically placed mini-disc recorders (with field recordings added to two tracks at a later point). Though the sound is radically different from the digital processing and sound manipulation previously employed, the results are clearly of a piece with the percussive, almost incantatory feel of their earlier records. From there, the trio (3/4 of the Collective appears on this recording) knits together threads of guitar strum and pluck; chanted, nearly wistful vocal harmonies; and often a pulsing rhythm that seems like it might break apart at any moment, and sometimes does. The melodies are simple and repetitive, recalling the early work of the Third Ear Band, '70s German commune-music, and similar folk-psychedelic explorers. But these are all mere starting points: here, there is real insight into notions of 'natural' sound, a retreat from technology and a return to traditional instrumentation, and conventional song structures broken down, drawn out, and reassembled. The resulting record is beautiful, heartfelt, mournful, and brimming with spontaneous energy.