Animal Collective
(Domino)
Merriweather Post Pavilion may be the most hyped album by a band few people have ever heard of. Before it was even officially released, bloggers were proclaiming it the best album of 2009. In this case, you can believe the hype - well, most of it anyway.
Merriweather is a very strong album and another step forward for an already-terrific band. But it's not quite a masterpiece. What Animal Collective has done is combine the electronics, psychedelia and tribal rhythms of its previous records with the Beach-Boys-In-Space sound of band member Panda Bear's 2007 solo album Person Pitch. The result is an album that's both experimental and accessible, a rare feat. But like Person Pitch, there are times when Merriweather is too focused on a sound or mood, instead of on actual songs. For every "Summertime Clothes," which could be played on Top 40 radio in an alternate universe, there are other tracks that, while always interesting, tend to run together.
In other words, it's an album well worth owning. Just don't sell your copy of Pet Sounds for it.
Standout Tracks: "Summertime Clothes" "Blush" HAL BIENSTOCK
