Sweet sassy molassey – I just got back from a listening party for Animal Collective’s new record, Merriweather Post Pavilion, hosted by Other Music here in NYC and I feel compelled to a do a little write up. But before we get to the album itself, a couple of observations. Being that this was my first l.party I was unsure of the proper etiquette, do I cup my ear towards the speaker? Do I nod in approval upon hearing the lyrics? And most importantly, do we all high-five after each song? (the answer to the last question was a heartbreaking ‘no’) I settled for semi-awkwardly leaning against some furniture while snacking on free pizza and soda, it was a scene very reminiscent of after school activities except for a lot more flannel shirts, and a lot more jams. An older gentleman stood to my right with headphones on, and it was obvious he was jamming to anything but Animal Collective – apparently he was there more for the ‘party’ than the ‘listening’. And to my left stood a group of young whippersnappers eager to show off their mp3 piracy skills, as they sang along to every word of every song. A curious feat indeed as the album was only officially released today. But I digress…
The album itself is already garnering mountains of praise, Pitchfork doled out a generous 9.6/10, while Uncut awarded it a perfect 5/5. I have only had the one listen, but I can safely say that Animal Collective have put together an auditory feast. It strikes me that this record will best be enjoyed at either extremely loud volumes, or through the confines of headphones as the songs are structurally complex and lavishly layered. In an era where singles dominate the musical landscape, the album somehow came across as both refreshingly cohesive and multifaceted. It is an ambitious, experimental and, ultimately poppy journey that entertains to no end, and I for one will have this on repeat for the foreseeable future.
EDIT II: Now that the album is out, I think Mr. Sheriff has eased up a little bit…
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Animal Collective – Summertime Clothes
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Merriweather Post Pavilion is out on vinyl on 1/06, CD and digital release to follow on 1/20.
Nice work kid!
I will totally punch Web Sheriff in the face.
And that sounded like an awesome experience, crazy kids and their piracy.
Is it just me or is that album cover on the move?
I like where your head’s at Frank…I say street fight, Web Sheriff vs. The Muffin.
That album cover is definitely going somewhere.