Record Review: Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion

Listening to “Merriweather Post Pavilion” is like walking in the shoes of Mark Renton in “Trainspotting” as he is determined to kick his heroin addiction: first, there is the full out, super enthused head-first dive; then withdrawal, managing to convince yourself that it wasn’t a good idea in the first place; and finally, a more practical middle approach of acceptance.

The guys at Pitchfork must have been high when they gave Animal Collective’s latest record a 9.6 rating, but then again, drug consumption is only appropriate, given the subject matter at hand. Animal Collective are the new Pink Floyd in the sense that people love to listen to them in a state of altered consciousness.

But, regardless of the amount of respect I have for this band, I don’t agree at all with its over-rated reception. Don’t believe the hype. This is not the best record of the year (from the handful of albums that I’ve heard so far, at least 4 or 5 are better than this one). And it is most certainly not the band's best album so far. It lacks the amount of punch that its predecessor, "Strawberry Jam" has.

The first two tracks are quite inspired and tasty morsels for those of us starved for new songs from Animal Collective, but then the band loses their momentum, slipping up on “Daily Routine” (what the hell is going on here? this song is strange in a bad way-EVEN FOR ANIMAL COLLECTIVE STANDARDS-and goes on for far too long, at 5:48). Animal Collective have taken a new approach, with no songs exceeding 6 minutes, but this doesn't guarantee that the songs will be interesting or even concise.

They quickly redeem themselves on the next song, however, as “Bluish” is the best track of the bunch. The combination of water-bubble sounds, gorgeous pianos and transcendent lyrics are more than enough to alter your mind without the aid of drugs. Contemplate the line “back to the time when we were green” for a moment. That is Animal Collective in a nutshell.

“Taste” is strangely Marley-esque, but strange in the sense that I would not expect it from Animal Collective, not in an off-putting way at all. It works great, and is one of the more innovative songs on the record.

“Brothersport” ends the album with a bang, and in a very signature Animal Collective fashion, they manage to have a lot going on without overwhelming you in a bad way. The song is like a synth version of folk melodies. Love it.

With 9 great LPs since 2000, Animal Collective are doing just fine thank-you-very-much. But if you’ve never experienced the band, I wouldn’t suggest that you start with their latest release; try “Feels” (2005) or “Strawberry Jam” (2007) instead.

3/5

Animal Collective - Bluish [mp3]

by the way, I totally just got the whole trippy thing for the first time as I studied the album art a bit more closely. awesome, give it a go and watch those leaves sway!