Animal Collective (Wiki) | (Last.FM) | (Myspace)
Meriweather Post Pavilion
[January 6, 2009] | [Domino]
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10.0/10
Animal Collective has kept me loving music for years. However, there were a few things that I always craved from them. I always wanted an Animal Collective album with more bass, more hooks, and more beats. Finally, I have that album. Merriweather Post Pavilion is probably AC’s most accessable album to date and yet they manage to remain so interesting and unique. MPP fuses together wonderful samples, melodies, and beats. On “My Girls”, probably the most “sing-a-long” AC song ever, Panda Bear delivers an undeniably catchy chorus while the beat manages to drop perfectly. This song had me dancing.
The MVP award goes to Panda Bear on this album. His vocals capture the essence of his critically acclaimed solo effort Person Pitch without becoming too overbearing and tired. On songs such as “Daily Routine” his melodies paint a picture of what 1960s psychadellic rock artists would kill to sound like. It is remarkably pleasing to hear a howl that would make Brian Wilson want to start taking acid again.
The most pleasing part about Animal Collective is that even if a song starts off shakey, there is usually a brilliant and interesting melody coming up. On Merriweather Post Pavilion, the group shines and takes their Strawberry Jam sound to a new and more listener-friendly level. It is quite remarkable that 6 days into 2009, we already have a contender for the album of the year. A task only Animal Collective could pull off.
-Kyle
