Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavillion

To me, Animal Collective (AC) are more of a religion or lifestyle choice than a band or ‘loose collective’ as they are so often referred to, and it is for this reason that I had incredibly high hopes for their newest release Merriweather Post Pavillion (MPP). The album continues AC’s constant growth, expansion and change, building on the electronic tones of Water Curses and tracks from Strawberry Jam like #1 and Peacebone. Electronic synthesizer loops abound in nearly every track on the album giving some of the songs an almost dance-track-esque sound, such as Brothersport and My Girls. AC’s signature hauntingly beautiful vocal harmonies are still there of course, and still just as prominent as in many of their other releases. However, despite this new release retaining AC’s most notable properties, it is far from predictable and with it being the most highly anticipated album they have ever put out, coupled with the mainstream exposure they received along with it, this album definitely marks a turning point in AC’s career as a music making entity. The leading track of the album “My Girls” is an absolutely brilliant electronic ride through AC’s attitude to life, with lyrics like “With a little girl, and by my spouse// I only want a proper house” and “I don't mean to seem like I care about material things like a social status// I just want four walls and adobe slabs for my girls”. Add to this a foot stomping beat and catchy electro loop and you have one of the highlights of this brilliant album.


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Other tracks that stand out to me include “Daily Routine” and the magnificent closing track “Brothersport”. One track on the album however, “Lion in a Coma”, has been getting a lot of criticism from both hardcore AC fans and everyone else on the internet. At first I agreed with them, the strange twanging, almost Didgeridoo-esque intro and a couple of dodgy lyrics automatically putting me off the track. However, after a few more listens it has definitely grown on me. I’m not saying it’s a one of the best tracks on the album, but it certainly isn’t as bad as many people are making out.

Merriweather Post Pavillion is an absolute joy to listen to and has in fact, I think, overtaken Strawberry Jam in my hierarchy of my favourite AC albums. Not only that, but it is also packaged within my second favourite CD cover art of all time, the first being the cover of Water Curses. Having been hailed as “The Album of 2009” all the way back in September of last year, long before it had been released, MPP had a lot to live up to to prove itself worthy of the title, and I for one think that AC have risen to the challenge spectacularly, producing one of the best albums of their career.

In short, a must-buy for anybody that considers themselves a music fan.