Album of The Week - 2.1

Animal Collective

Merriweather Post Pavilion

Domino (2009)

Why you'll love it:  pop music through a surrealist filter.

Why you'll hate it: annoying fans / songs take repeated listens to register.

It may not be all that relevant to review 2009's most anticipated indie album two weeks after its release (and probably two months after it originally leaked); but I can't help but share my thoughts...

Animal Collective's reputation usually brings out the best and worst of a music fan. Their psychedelic shoegaze pop has divided fanbases into waring factions. But when the dust has settled, and the mess of bearded corpses with ironic t-shirts soaked in blood and PBR have been cleared, the album will stand on its own. Let's see if we can judge this work on its own merit, not hype and pretension.

Merriweather Post Pavilion is AC's 8th album. Over the years they have gone through a series of transformations to get to this point. Beginning as a tribal-like noise band, the fluctuating lineup would experiment with highs, lows, and a lot of random yelping in between. Over time, they took their meds, and released a series of albums that played with acoustics, while still prone to fits of panic. With their last album, Strawberry Jam, heavy electronics and pop elements worked their way into the mix; all the while, still retaining that intimidating dirty tribal music aethstetic.

For Merriweather Post Pavilion, Animal Collective looks up to the heavens rather than the earth. The departure of (and refusal to replace) guitarist, Dekin, is felt here; as if master of electronics, Geologist, is left to fill the void. This is where an otherwise very good album disappoints me. The fuzzy feedback that I enjoyed so much on Strawberry Jam and Feels is replaced by a hi-pitched glissando of synth sounds. The garish production of the songs oversaturate what could have been some brilliant ambient moments.

But alien synths can only hold back the group's new pop renaissance so much. Despite its production, the closer, "Brothersport", is an epic gospel spaz attack that is impossible to ignore. "Bluish" is the most beautiful song I've heard them make. Offensively catchy pop melodies in "My Girls" and "Summertime Clothes" manage to debase the stereotype of your typical stoner band. The trio isn't just freaking out squares here, they're pushing music snobs' buttons and deceiving the casual listener.

I usually end up trimming the fat on Animal Collective albums, leaving only 5 or so tracks to remain, and the ambient crooning to rot; but I'm finding this new Beach Boys influenced sound to have much more pleasant filler tracks. Like 2007's Strawberry Jam, only one song from the album has been expelled from my iPod (the second half of "Daily Routine" is a total bore). While I'd much rather have them win me over using their dirtier soundscape, as they had with last year's Water Curses EP, this Heaven's Gate side of Animal Collective has plenty of quality beyond its glossy exterior.