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Yellow Swans & Birchville Cat Motel is the first collaboration between these two underground phenomena. Both groups have amassed sturdy back catalogs and a great deal of critical acclaim. This collaboration was recorded entirely in New Zealand both live and in the studio. In late 2005, Yellow Swans were blessed with the opportunity to tour Australia. As an added bonus, they were able to scam a free week-and-a-half layover in New Zealand so they could check out the mythic noisescape of their teenagedom. They booked a few shows and most of those were set up by Mr. Birchville Cat Motel, who they ended up collaborating with live. Before the Yellow Swans headed to Dunedin (where Pete Swanson had a birthday party at the Arc Cafe), they were set to play a late show at a club. In walked Campbell Kneale (Birchville Cat Motel), wearing an Iron Maiden shirt and carrying a guitar that had a destroyed cookie tin wedged under the strings. When it was time for the Yellow Swans/Birchville Cat Motel jam, Pete Swanson suggested they "ease into it." Campbell looked bummed, so Gabe Saloman suggested that they just go for it. Campbell looked happy at that suggestion, so they did, and clearly it worked out pretty well because that's track two. Track one is a studio collaboration recorded at Celebrate Psi Phenomenon.