I have one statement to sum up my feelings about Animal Collective’s newest effort, and frankly I never thought I’d say this about them:
This is the best album I’ve heard in a long time. Quote it. My happiness with Merriweather Post Pavilion is comparable to MGMTs Oracular Spectacular last year, and even Radiohead’s In Rainbows the year before. I’m going try to explain why: Listen closely!
The opening track “In the Flowers” is a very honest, darker version of A.C. Seemingly instrumental, and laced with echoed vocals (not too far from their usual style), the song is a misleading kick-off to the album; no other track is primarily in the minor key. But it builds the foundation for the whirling soundscape that follows for the next 55 minutes.
It’s the second track that brings that HUGE smile to your face. “My Girls” picks up the pace, picks up the attitude, and picks up any future expectations for Animal Collective. The song is also the first trace of the native-African singing and eclectic synth beat that you’ll find throughout the album.
What follows after is not a single wasted second of music, and not a single track that’s less than pleasing. Listen straight through the album, changing paces from the hauntingly upbeat “Also Frightened”, to the suffocatingly hypnotic “Bluish”, and finally ending epically with “Brother Sport”, upbeat, and full of life, lyrics, and happiness (cue the violins!)
Yes, I know it doesn’t seem I have much criticism to say about this album. Well I’m not going to crap on Mozart, either, so there you go. Forget about genres, tastes, labels, or whatever. If you’re a fan of Music, then you owe it to yourself to see what I’m talking about, whether a previous fan of their previous releases, or you’ve never heard of them.
If you’re tired of the same chord progressions, same sounds, same words, and same shit coming from music lately, do yourself a favor and see what happens when a band like Animal Collective actually tries to make an album:
Great Music.
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