Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion

[OKComputer1016]

Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion
Record Label: Domino
Release Date: January 20, 2009

Animal Collective albums have always been special occasion listens for me, with the occasion being that I’d worn out all my Mike Patton and needed a new source for tribal drumming and random phrenetic screaming. Animal Collective’s tendency to structure 99% of their music on the creed of “Ridiculous for the Sake of Ridiculous” generally makes them come off as a sort of novelty act – a title which I’m sure the band would not dispute, but which puts a finite limit on how often I can listen to a given record. They can and do amuse, but they’ve got moments more than they’ve got consistency; they’ve got songs more than they’ve got albums.

Merriweather Post Pavilion is the first Animal Collective release where I’d call the entire album essential listening. The songs fit into each other cohesively like switching scenes in a dream, and there’s not a moment of anything that could be fairly labeled ‘filler’. When songs branch off into the unknown, it’s less studio wankery and more songwriting experimentation. The spaced-out segments of tracks like “Daily Routine” are positively transcendent, and there’s never a letdown from that high either.

Brian Wilson’s influence covers the album via Panda Bear, whose excellent solo album Person Pitch introduced us to his adoration of the Beach Boys. The result is a number of singalong songs whose lyrics may or may not have any logical value, but that sound great nonetheless. Lines like “No one should call you a dreamer” from “Also Frightened” really sound like they’ve got a lot of meaning behind them, even if that same song opens with “Face your money into the dark – you can’t sweat unless swung by the hen.”

Be careful when singing along that you don’t cover up the actual vocals on the album, because they’re what propel this masterpiece. The call-and-response lines are arranged so perfectly in the foot stomper “My Girls” that the listener wonders if the group would be able to pull it off as well live (HINT: they’re excellent live); “Bluish” can and will make you forget that anything negative has ever happened in your entire life; and my personal favorite, “Summertime Clothes” somehow manages to one-up its hypnotic Baroque keyboard arpeggios with even more infectious vocal harmonies.

As always with Animal Collective, there’s really nothing else out there that sounds quite like it. You can place groups like Annuals under the same general heading (and Battles too, if your heading is just the word “Weird”), but this is the only group this far out on whatever limb comes to its members’ collective mind. Merriweather Post Pavilion is an early contender in the race for 2009’s best album of the year, easily.

Bonus points for having a song called “Lion in a Coma.”

Recommended if You Like
Panda Bear’s Person Pitch, Annuals’ Be He Me, Brian Wilson’s…anything

Judge For Yourself
www.myspace.com/animalcollectivetheband

[zombie!pirate!]

This album shifted my taste of music for a month. It was THAT good. great review

[EndSerenading]

Well written review and creative and fun band. Personally though, I don't feel it is a 9/10 type album for me. Some of the songs are really catchy and I can listen to over and over and other songs I tend to skip nearly every time I listen to this album. As such, after a month or so of listening its already been relegated to an album that I never listen to all the way through (which pretty much locks it out of being an 8 or 9 / 10 for me)

My Girls, Bluish, and Also Frightened are my favorite tracks.

[Jumpoff]

band has always been subpar to me

[princesschad]

Godly, godly album.

[HometownHero]

band has always been subpar to me
Seconded. I cant get into them. Boring to me

[Jet Set Paul]

This is the first album that I've actually BOUGHT in over a year.

And I don't regret it at all...

[Jeremy Aaron]

Animal Collective and pointless hyperbole go hand in hand.

[Blake Solomon]

great review my man. Very well-said.

[Un'Aria Ancora]

Love this band, especially Merriweather.
There is so much detail in every song it's ridiculous.

[ExplodingStereo]

Seconded. I cant get into them. Boring to me
Finally, people who agree with me! I think the only thing interesting about the album is its cover. Nothing incredibly mindblowing about them.

[Adam Pfleider]

solid review Eric, I'm glad you were the staff member to review this.

[HometownHero]

Finally, people who agree with me! I think the only thing interesting about the album is its cover. Nothing incredibly mindblowing about them.
We have the same avatar haha. But yeah half the time it just sounded like noise. Deleted from my iPod

[Eleven:Ten]

Eh, I wish I could get into this band ... it's all my roomate listens too.

[Mens]

i enjoy this album, but their other stuff not so much

[zFrog]

Great review, This is one of the albums I've enjoyed all the way through, seeing them live was an incredible experience, so good

[CellarGhosts]

Not in to them at all. Good review though.

[Gregory Robson]

Nice review. This is clearly their best album and a major step forward.
You are dead on about the Brian Wilson influence, it's all over this beast.
Such a sick album. I don't even like the band that much, but this album is truly something to behold.
I am sure bands will be citing as influences in the next few years, and on and on and on.

[Heroin Robot]

nice patton ref

[Drew Beringer]

great review great album thumbs up

[kidwithhelmet]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: "I must not be smart enough for this."

[youareallfreaks]

interesting first listen. not my cup of tea. spun it 3 times, no mas.

[awakeohsleeper]

Many people have been telling me this band is over rated. I've never listened to them so would not want to judge, but I was wondering if anyone agrees this is a fair comment?

[mcdavis2]

Many people have been telling me this band is over rated. I've never listened to them so would not want to judge, but I was wondering if anyone agrees this is a fair comment?
some people will say that is fair. they are wrong. they're UNDERrated.

[Holly HoX!]

Thanks for writing this...deserves the score. i love me some animal collective. this is probably their most accessible release to date.

[Stephen Chamberlain]

Good record, but they've released much better stuff.

[Liter-O-Cola]

Good review, although saying Animal Collective structures 99% of their music on the creed of "Ridiculous for the Sake of Ridiculous" is completely misleading and in no way describes the band's style and songwriting structure on any of their previous albums. The closest that statement comes to being true is on something like Campfire Songs or Here Comes the Indian, but even then it misses the mark. Animal Collective are great songwriters and have been for years.

[Holly HoX!]

Finally, people who agree with me! I think the only thing interesting about the album is its cover. Nothing incredibly mindblowing about them.
I love how the first two people to say they don't like Animal Collective both have Blink 182 avatars.

[Liter-O-Cola]

And, by the way, I think it's a title they WOULD dispute:

"As far as the boundaries and the future of avant-garde, I have no idea. I don’t think the people who reach that next step are thinking about it either. That process of searching out new boundaries to push in order to be the next avant-garde seems too academic for me. People should just do what they want to do, and if it happens to be something that pushes the boundaries, then that’s sweet. If you are just trying to do something to be different, but feel no personal attachment to what you are creating, then that’s a shame. If it’s not something you would respond to on a deeper level, why would anyone else respond to it?"

http://www.identitytheory.com/audio/ross_animal.php

[underthetalking]

I love how the first two people to say they don't like Animal Collective both have Blink 182 avatars.
Hahaha, I'm glad I'm not the only one that noticed that.

[combatbaby]

Love this album.

[Stephen Chamberlain]

Good review, although saying Animal Collective structures 99% of their music on the creed of "Ridiculous for the Sake of Ridiculous" is completely misleading and in no way describes the band's style and songwriting structure on any of their previous albums. The closest that statement comes to being true is on something like Campfire Songs or Here Comes the Indian, but even then it misses the mark. Animal Collective are great songwriters and have been for years.Yeah it makes me sad the way people are jizzing themselves silly over this record as if AC hasn't been releasing great stuff for years now.

I love how the first two people to say they don't like Animal Collective both have Blink 182 avatars.
It makes me rather sad, actually. How could they not find the band "boring" or "unpleasant" if that's their standard of excellence?

[Stephen Chamberlain]

For the record, AC is not avant-garde (at least not anymore). This is just noisy pop.

[FUCKDIRTYWIPES]

lately, ive been completely obsessed with these guys. Great review, completely agree with what you said about "bluish." I havnt liked a cd as much as this in a very, very long time.

[SlappedActor]

Definitely an early contender for AOTY. Has both one of the best openers and one of the best closers I've ever heard on an album. I love their creative style.

[Stephen Chamberlain]

Also, in the first paragraph it's "frenetic" not "phrenetic."

[Liter-O-Cola]

For the record, AC is not avant-garde (at least not anymore). This is just noisy pop.
Agreed. MPP just brings to the forefront something that has been apparent in many of AC's albums: they write great pop songs. They just do it differently (creatively).

[Stephen Chamberlain]

Agreed. MPP just brings to the forefront something that has been apparent in many of AC's albums: they write great pop songs. They just do it differently (creatively).
Exactly.

[Cal50]

this band is so incredibly boring

"my girls" is a good song but it's the only good song on this piece of crap

[Hagysaurus Rex]

Great band, great album, extremely talented individuals, just not my thing.

Good review though, you're pretty spot on.

[mogwaifearsatan]

this band is so incredibly boring

"my girls" is a good song but it's the only good song on this piece of crap
stick to blink

[Lacrimosa]

Be He Me? Whaaaaaat? I love that album but this is nothing like it!

[Jumpoff]

I love how the first two people to say they don't like Animal Collective both have Blink 182 avatars.

I love how I'm the first person to say I don't like them and I don't have a blink 182 avatar.

Shitty band.

[gladnads]

Anything this band does is good.

[DaTBoiDaN]

People who say this band is boring do not have properly working ears or brains capable of digesting good music. Not an opinion, a fact.

...And I like Blink 182.

[Fury15]

Lioninacoma!

[Samc1803]

They do their own thing, and do it well. Never really got into them, though.

[SaoFoldSurvive]

This album shifted my taste of music for a month. It was THAT good. great review
I totally agree. I'm usually listening to hardcore like Verse Have Heart and Final Fight and shit and then I heard this album and BAM I was hooked for a while. Still am.

[PoisonInMyVeins]

They've been one of my favorite bands for a long time. As great as this record is, though, I personally prefer Feels. I can't wait to see them again in Philly and then at Bonnaroo; seeing them last year was quite an experience.

[ExplodingStereo]

I love how I'm the first person to say I don't like them and I don't have a blink 182 avatar.

Shitty band.
Thank you. An avatar doesn't determine whether you listen to good or bad music, by the way. These guys frankly just make noise, not music.

[Jumpoff]

Thank you. An avatar doesn't determine whether you listen to good or bad music, by the way. These guys frankly just make noise, not music.
I don't even mind noise in my music. Dinosaur Jr were pretty awesome. This band is just so meh.

[iblamethegovt]

Thank you. An avatar doesn't determine whether you listen to good or bad music, by the way. These guys frankly just make noise, not music.
:-d wat

if you want noise, listen to merzbow or some shit. animal collective are not noise. you have broken ears.

[trappedintime]

I will enjoy this album then.

[dru]

really nice review, i liked the line about switching scenes in a dream haha. i love this album.

[togethernesses]

awesome review. i love this band, but this is the first entire album that i've been completely obsessed with from them. i've had it on repeat for days, "summertime clothes" has yet to get old. half of my friends feel the same way and the other half generally use lines like "this band doesn't make my dick move." oh well. love love love it.

[BGP]

Great review! I have a feeling this may be in the running for AOTY

Thank you. An avatar doesn't determine whether you listen to good or bad music, by the way. These guys frankly just make noise, not music.

idiot

[smithariko]

excellent review.

[Clark]

There are a lot of idiots in here.

[littlebeav]

This album shifted my taste of music for a month. It was THAT good. great review
This. I mean, I usually stretch myself, but never quite to this dramatic of a reach. But I'm still jamming it. I've got friends who NEVER listen to the music I like... and they're jamming it. Such a great album.

[littlebeav]

Also...
This:
:-d wat

if you want noise, listen to merzbow or some shit. animal collective are not noise. you have broken ears.

Absolutely this:
awesome review. i love this band, but this is the first entire album that i've been completely obsessed with from them. i've had it on repeat for days, "summertime clothes" has yet to get old. half of my friends feel the same way and the other half generally use lines like "this band doesn't make my dick move." oh well. love love love it.

And without a doubt this:
There are a lot of idiots in here.

1 person that doesn't like this album is 1 too many idiots. It really is that good. Give it a fucking spin and stop being such twats people.

[timb89]

heard their myspace, gonna give them a go

[underthetalking]

This is the first album that I've actually BOUGHT in over a year.

And I don't regret it at all...
Thats sad.

[togethernesses]

the notion that animal collective's previous releases were really really good and that nullifies the awesomeness of this record, and vice versa, is just stupid. that's like saying a band is only allowed to put out one fantastic record and anything after that better not come close because the really really good one happened already. yes, their other albums are really really good. this one is also really really good. neither invalidates the other.

to those of you who gave this record a superficial listen and disliked it: you're really missing out on some good stuff here.

[Broclee]

I acknowledge what this band does, and they do it damn well, but I just have trouble getting in to them. I try with every release, and I just don't.

I might try this one some more, I enjoyed some of it during the initial listenings.

[cadwallader]

Good review, although saying Animal Collective structures 99% of their music on the creed of "Ridiculous for the Sake of Ridiculous" is completely misleading and in no way describes the band's style and songwriting structure on any of their previous albums. The closest that statement comes to being true is on something like Campfire Songs or Here Comes the Indian, but even then it misses the mark. Animal Collective are great songwriters and have been for years.

word. they've been making incredible experimental pop music for years now. i also don't understand why everyone agrees that this album is more accessible than any of their other stuff. i thought feels, strawberry jam, and sung tongs were all just as accessible if not more than this album.

[hubbabubbal3ts]

such a talented band. this record continually blows me away. this will be in the best of 09 for sure.

[alltimecam]

Such an incredible album, so excited to see them at the fox theatre

[Chris Fallon]

Couldn't get into it, but regardless, solid review

[Praetor]

I think this is their best album, and I'm a big fan of their older stuff too. Beautifully crafted album.

[ExplodingStereo]

Great review! I have a feeling this may be in the running for AOTY



idiot
I apologize for not enjoying whatever bland, trendy indie band you enjoy? Would that be a suitable answer?

I just didn't find it to be THAT good. Sorry for having an opinion, didn't think I was going to get martyred for it.

[iblamethegovt]

I apologize for not enjoying whatever bland, trendy indie band you enjoy? Would that be a suitable answer?

I just didn't find it to be THAT good. Sorry for having an opinion, didn't think I was going to get martyred for it.
your opinion was that this band makes "noise" and not "music". you're wrong. i'm kind of sad that i'm wasting my time convincing you that you're wrong, but that's much more than saying something "isn't that good".

[Ryne]

I apologize for not enjoying whatever bland, trendy indie band you enjoy? Would that be a suitable answer?

I just didn't find it to be THAT good. Sorry for having an opinion, didn't think I was going to get martyred for it.
I agree with you. I like Animal Collective's older stuff, especially Strawberry Jam, and I listen to all noise like Merzbow, Prurient, and everything else. And while Animal Collective do not make unstructured noise at all, I didn't have as much amazement for this album as everyone else seems to.

There's only a few songs that I actually like, and the rest are just mediocre stuff. iblamethegovt, I don't know why you're wasting your time telling someone their opinion of what "noise" and "music" are, two abstract ideas, is wrong. Just because everyone seems to conventionally agree that MPP is amazing does not make it wrong for someone else to not like it.

[justrockthesock]

Honestly, I think these guys are really overrated around here...I can never get into them...Just to experimental, it gets kind of boring...
Okay you can shoot me now....

[alexiamaria]

I really am trying to get into this band,but its very hard.

[shmisabee]

i think the majority of why some people can't get into this band isn't because they're dumber than other people; it's just because they think about music in a different way.

you have to broaden your understanding of good music to enjoy bands like animal collective or of montreal. think about music as more than just a couple of instruments, singing and a chorus.
i know it took me a long time to, but i've come to enjoy certain genres so much more.
music is also about sound and experimentation--part of the reason it's "art."

[Broclee]

i think the majority of why some people can't get into this band isn't because they're dumber than other people; it's just because they think about music in a different way.

you have to broaden your understanding of good music to enjoy bands like animal collective or of montreal. think about music as more than just a couple of instruments, singing and a chorus.
i know it took me a long time to, but i've come to enjoy certain genres so much more.
music is also about sound and experimentation--part of the reason it's "art."
I comletely understand that, and i'm fine with experimentation, I just have problems trying to sift through a lot of the noise they put in their songs, because it's like, they put a melody in there, but they want you to dig for it, to find it, and I get frustrated with it sometimes, haha.

[Stephen Chamberlain]

I comletely understand that, and i'm fine with experimentation, I just have problems trying to sift through a lot of the noise they put in their songs, because it's like, they put a melody in there, but they want you to dig for it, to find it, and I get frustrated with it sometimes, haha.
You make it sound like that's some new concept. Ever heard of shoegaze?

[Broclee]

You make it sound like that's some new concept. Ever heard of shoegaze?
:eyebrow:
Wow, you just felt the compulsive need to be a dick, didn't you?

I have heard of shoegaze, and I know noise isn't a new concept, I just feel like these guys try too hard.

Is that better?

[3milesdown]

they try hard cuz they're amazing.


nice review. I believe AC has a hidden talent.

[AmesMyMan182]

I am just getting into a lot of Radiohead, Can, Karate and other such bands that I really did not listen to in college. As my friend says, this is a great band that get's heard by the people who deserve to hear it. If Summertime Clothes doesn't do it, then this probably isn't a band for you. This album is a huge bridge in the music genre for me and I can't begin to understand how it could get a bad review. But that's just me.

[shes.a.ghost]

I want to listen to this album stoned.

[Pawan1993]

I find the album cover very very cool. When viewed in a large size, it appears to move. A visual illusion as an album cover, that is seriously awesome.
This is the album cover in large if anyone wants to see it.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3270/2966286733_1ed347e68f.jpg?v=0

EDIT: Sorry wrong use of words, meant optical illusion not visual illusion.

[netmusic09]

I've become a fan of Animal Collective since discovering them last year. Can't wait to see what else they come up with. This review of Animal Collective - Grass (http://avenue61.co.uk/animal_collective_grass.asp) is pretty informative.

[MetalIsThyGod]

album of 09

[LemonHazey72]

Merriweather is a masterpiece in my opinion, and the thoughts of many professional critics will only reflect that. I can understand why many don't coincide with the hype of AC though, due to their "far-out" elements in terms of electronic experimentation and expression. I guess it just comes down to what you're comfortable with.
Although the more I listen to AC, or anything Noah and Dave are involved with, the more I crave it. It's so creative and fulfilling, an immense mood-booster. If you're not familiar with the band, then I recommend you at least try. They completely changed my perception of contemporary indie/neo-psych that's for sure.