Animal Collective are one of the most acclaimed indie bands around. They're also one of the most polarizing. You don't often hear someone say, "Animal Collective? Meh. They're okay." It's either, "Man, they're freaking awesome," or "Ya, I just don't get it. What's the appeal?" I was a longtime member of the latter group until about a year ago. Admittedly, I hadn't heard too much of their stuff, what I had heard was mostly their oldest (read: weirdest) stuff, and I had never really given them the time of day. Then I heard the song "#1" from the album 'Strawberry Jam' and really liked it. I listened to the rest of the album and it all just clicked. From there, I fell in love with the band, dutifully scrounging up their past albums.
It was with great anticipation that I listened to 'Merriweather'. I had never heard any live versions of these songs at all before playing this album. I went in with completely virgin ears, free of any expectations or preconceived notions. IMO, this is their greatest album to date, and frankly, it isn't even close. That says more about the quality of MPP then it does of their previous albums.
This has more of an "electronic" sound (for lack of a better word) than past albums. It's not electro-pop or anything like that (maybe "Summertime Clothes" is), but it is very bassy and beat driven. You could almost put this on for a dance party (almost.) I could even imagine an avant garde hip-hop artist rhyming over some of these beats. After finding out that this album was produced by Ben Allen, who has worked with the likes of Gnarls Barkley, P. Diddy, and Christina Aguilera, it made total sense.
It starts off mellow enough, with the wonderful "In the Flowers." It's all beautiful ambiance until about 2:00 in, when Avey Tare says the words, "If I could just leave my body for a night." Then all hell breaks loose. Huge, epic, bassy, synthy awesomeness ensues, until it all simmers back down towards the end.
"My Girls" is probably the catchiest song they've ever recorded, with an amazing, club-ready beat and a chorus of: "I don't mean to seem like I care about material things like a social status/I just want four walls and adobe slats for my girls," followed by a sick drum fill and a shrieking "Woooo!" that would make Ric Flair proud. Not sure if it was intentionally meant to be ironic or not, but I couldn't help but notice that a "social status" isn't really a material thing at all, while "four walls and adobe slats" most certainly are material. Maybe I'm just over-analyzing. Either way, you'll be re-playing that song over and over in your head for some time after hearing it.
"Summertime Clothes" just might be AC's answer to M83's masterful album from 2008, 'Saturdays=Youth'. The first 30 seconds sound very similar to the beginning of the Battles song "Atlas", then it veers into territory that is definitely 80's-ish, but not in a cheeseball way at all. It's a super-catchy tune and is probably the second single behind "My Girls".
"Bluish" is easily the most beautiful song on the album, with a repeating refrain of, "I'm getting lost in your curls," intermingled with lines like, "I like your lips when you get mean." It's a wonderfully ethereal song that evokes memories of high school crushes that felt like they were the only thing worth living for.
The two closing songs, "No More Runnin" and "Brother Sport", couldn't be more different, but they work together wonderfully. The former is a very mellow, sparse, piano driven song that serves as a nice contrast to the rest of the album. The downtime doesn't last long, as "Brother Sport" goes right back to the deep bass and big beat sound, with Panda Bear telling us, "You've gotta open up your, open up your, open up your throat!" It's bouncy and crazy, building layer upon layer to create an incredibly awesome house beat. It's a fantastic end to a fantastic record.
Those are all the highlights, but there aren't really any lowlights to speak of. Whether it's the "#1"-esque synths of "Daily Routine"; the metaphysical musings of "Taste" ("Am I really all the things that are outside of me?" asks Avey); or the didgeridoo driven excitement of "Lion in a Coma", I really can't find any fault with this album. It might alienate some of the hardline, old-school AC fans, but it's just their loss. For anyone who has previously ignored them or just hasn't been feeling this band, give this album a chance. Once it sinks its claws into you, the grip will hold on for quite some time.
I'm getting lost in your curls
Certainly pushes the boundaries of music....
11 tracks
