Before we begin, do you know who this is in the photo above? No? Why, it’s Marjorie Merriweather Post, the founder of General Foods, Inc. Though she enjoyed a lavish lifestyle and socialite existence, the cereal magnate also subscribed to the Rockefeller school of philanthropic thought and donated tons of money to various causes, eventually getting an outdoor concert pavilion in Maryland named after her and, ergo, an album I’m getting ready to pop on the ghetto blaster.
So anyway, you know the drill. When I grip a new and anticipated jam hive, I like to review it in “real time”… that is to say, I fuckin’ listen to that shizz and liveblog my thoughts on it, only revising for grammatical errors and editorial clarity. Today, Animal Collective’s forthcoming Merriweather Post Pavilion gets said treatment. It comes out on Domino on January 20th in digital format, January 6th on analog (vinyl). Unfortunately, you get no preview for yourself, as I got Web Sheriffed on Christmas. Christmas!
I’ll try to keep this objective. However, I’ve been a huge Animal Collective fan since I first heard “Slippi” from Here Comes the Indian roughly… I dunno, five years ago or so. Hence, I have rather strong feelings toward this music, lots of nostalgia, and high expectations. This does, however, usually make for a better write-up. My prediction – Strawberry Jam seemed to act as a bridge between Animal Collective’s weirdo rippin’ and the newer pop movements showcased in their recent live performances and, of course, Panda Bear’s solo outing. I expect Merriweather to be AC’s most accessible release yet, for better or worse.
Alright, let’s do this like Buddhists. Mashin’ play:
“In the Flowers” - Begins in a flurry of somewhat disjointed sound, much like “Peacebone,” and well, “Did You See the Words,” too. Perhaps this is the standard exposition for an Animal Collective release as of late. The faint, reverberated clean guitars that defined a lot of Feels come back before the track explodes into epic bombasticity. Avey Tare sings in his absolute most melodic, soaring above a bed of piano, chopped string ensemble samples (or at least what sounds like such), and a lush, shoegazing wall of sounds. Almost has a classic rock feel, come to think of it…
“My Girls” – Twinkly and glitchy samples introduce “My Girls,” which doesn’t derive too much from the live renditions of “House” heard over the past year or so, with exception of a greater vocal presence in the mix. “My Girls” is a quite traditional verse-chorus structure, which is unusual for AC. The lyrics are some of the least cryptic, tackling the important topic of takin’ care of you and yours. After the second chorus, handclaps come in at perfect 4/4 time, solidifying the Collective’s first dance club banger. Similar to much of Strawberry Jam, “My Girls” is sample heavy and devoid of guitars.
“Also Frightened” – This is the first song that I’ve really enjoyed thus far. “Also Frightened” is Animal Collective’s expansive circus chanty, with twinkly arcade pings in tow. Enjoy equal throat duty from Avey and Panda over a waltzy rhythm and a Barrett like melody. Best of the batch, so far. Love the polyphonic vocal breaks. Reminiscent of The Soft Bulletin.
Verdict:
“Summertime Clothes” – Fuzzy, grimy, bit-crushed, rigidly rhythmic samples kick start “Summertime Clothes,” originally known as “Bearhug.” Big treble-riding beats drop in with mechanical Kraftwerkesque flourishes and Lee Scratch Perry reverb, cultivating a definite dubstep vibe.
“Daily Routine” - Quite different from the live version. Lots of booty bass, dense dance beats, and some strange glitchy organ swells reminiscent of “Baba O’Reiley” all build to a small crescendo before breaking into the first ambient moment of the record, featuring Panda singing “just a sec more, in my beeeeeeed” repetitively. Another song about how rad kids are. Not into this, save for Panda’s exceptional vocal intro. The rest is way too Paul Oakenfold for my taste, though.
“Bluish” – Serious 4AD vibe… Dead Can Dance and Cocteau Twins specifically. First AC song that most people would consider “pretty.” This song is, actually, the most gorgeous, melodic output from Animal Collective ever… but at the expense of not really sounding like them. Such branching out is very respectable though, and I always applaud experimentation and tweaking. However, older fans may scratch their head on this record thus far. I actually really enjoy this song, despite the somewhat corny vibe.
“Guys Eyes” – Aquatic textures and a cricket sound open the track, conjuring the bucolic soundscape that defines Sung Tongs. With the rhythmic piano, syncopated beats, and two separate vocal melodies sung simultaneously, this is the closest to older Animal Collective on this album.
“Taste” - The total Panda Bear experience. Person Pitch strikes back. Sample organic percussion mixed with faint vocals and a sugary hook – this is obviously Noah’s track. Actually, it seems that Noah has really taken over a lot of the creative direction with this record. We know he’s really into dubstep and electronic exploration, loves Daft Punk, and enjoys a really good vocal harmony or two. Personally, I like the play of the ying and yang between Avey and Panda, following the long tradition of ol’ Lennon and the Mac. We’ve yet to hear Avey lose his shit as he’s wont to do, even on Strawberry Jam. Regardless, AC ups the psychedelic vibe on this one, so I really enjoy this track. Second favorite thus far, behind “Also Frightened.”
“Lion in a Coma” – I wasn’t a fan of this song when I first heard it live. The recorded version is almost exactly the same, with the exception of a prominent didgeridoo sample and a full embrace of low end. Good soundtrack for goin’ on safaris. Unfortunately, I never go on safaris.
“No More Runnin’” – Zounds! A ballad? Intimate piano and vocals adorn this song almost exclusively, with the exception of a little bit of sonic manipulation from the Geologist. This tracks sounds like it comes straight from Sigur Ros’ (). The repeating of the song’s title, mixed with the slow tempo piano, is total Kiss FM style. This majorly bums me out.
Verdict:
“Brother Sport” – Oh no, this is horrible. The tribal chant sounds like Sebastian the Lobster’s “Under the Sea” from The Little Mermaid. This would be the perfect song for the dolphin show at the Louisville Zoo. What the fuck, dudes? Befouled! Leave the stupid African vibe to Vampire Weekend, please. I don’t know why Animal Collective turned into World Party in the album’s last quarter. The final track is especially heavy on the 8-bit sound effects, invoking sadness for no longer having my old Nintendo. To top it off, the song features this sort of beat that reminds me of the oft-utilized old school hip-hop “whoo!.. yeah!” sample. Everybody dance now. “I know it sucks that daddy’s dumb” is an amusing lyric, though. Somebody was seriously baked.
I feel kinda bad for raggin’ on the last few songs, espeically after having worked two of their shows in the past and experiencing their (very refreshing) humility, politeness, and gingerly nature first hand. But I had to be honest – the first half ruled, the second half… ehhh. However, I’ll still buy this record when it comes out, see them play live, and support them to the maxxx… so it’s all zero-sum in the end. Wavy gravy.
Final thoughts…
Despite their former and refreshing strangeness over the past decade, Animal Collective has reached the point of deafening critical praise wherein people of all tastes will listen. This is totally deserved for a group as prolific and eclectic as Animal Collective. However, Merriweather Post Pavilion, the group’s ninth offering, will probably provide their first truly polarizing record, though not in the way their earlier albums were polarizing.
Gone are the drone examinations, freak folk structures, and Avey Tare’s shamanistic yelps, now replaced with dub-informed booty bass, dance rhythms, and polyphonic vocal harmonies. Merriweather Post Pavilion features a lot of firsts for the group, and as such, I offer nothing but respect for their daring – piano ballads, dream pop, shoegazing, dub, trance, and more are all explored. In addition, their earlier approaches to songwriting are peppered throughout Merriweather: the sunny melodies of Strawberry Jam, the grating glitch of Here Comes the Indian and Spirit They’re Gone, Spirit They’ve Vanished, the bombast of Feels, the found-sounds and bellyhoo of Campfire Songs, and… well, nothing really from Sung Tongs. So it’s an almost retrospective. Regardless, it’s the tight compositions, catchy song-based structures, and completely dominate vocal tracks that are ubiquitously showcased throughout. Newer Animal Collective fans will be pleased and impressed with the seamless amalgamation of sonically adventurous ideas and pop music, combining the bit-crushing texture of earlier works with the beat-heavy, soaring polyphonic melodies of Panda Bear’s sophomore solo record Person Pitch. Fans of Sung Tongs and before, however, will scratch their heads wondering where their strange friends went.
Merriweather Post Pavilion is an enjoyable listen and certainly the next logical next step in context of Animal Collective’s trajectory, adding increasing pop sensibility with each release. Animal Collective has still held their place in the top tier of contemporary artists. Unfortunately, this new artistic statement is not the envelope-pusher that the experimentation of Here Comes the Indian and Feels offered.
Of course, the innate issue with the “Real Time Review” that should be addressed is that these thoughts are my initial impression and my opinion may change over time. But right now, I feel pretty ambivalent overall. There are flashes of brilliance (the first quarter of the album), and segments of banality (the last quarter of the album). Perhaps I simply miss the old freaky-deeky Animal Collective I’ve known and loved. Perhaps it’ll grow on me over time. “Also Frightened” is the tits, though.
Fagen-Becker Quality Rating:
