In 2024, Animal Collective’s Geologist (né Brian Weitz) retreated to visual artist Kyle Simon’s Farrington Observatory in Joshua Tree, where the duo uniquely harnessed the ambient power of the moon to record music. That celestial experiment has now blossomed into a full-length album titled The Sirens, arriving on October 16 via Outside Time. Listeners can preview the cosmic journey with the track “The Opening,” available below.
For those curious about how celestial bodies translate into sound, Simon breaks down the technical process: “The telescope is fitted with optical sensors and light-sensitive detectors called photodiodes,” he explains in the album’s liner notes. “As I rotate the scope towards different objects in the night sky, it collects light from stars, the moon, and planets. This raw light is converted into an electrical signal via an analog amplifier and then sent to Brian’s modular synthesizer rig as control voltage — a signal format that can modulate pitch, filter, rhythm, and other sonic elements in real time.”
The Sirens marks Geologist’s third release of 2026, following his January solo album Can I Get a Pack of Camel Lights and the May collaboration with Avey Tare, Croz Boyce. The duo is set to embark on a tour next month, kicking off with a September 8 show in Asheville, North Carolina.
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