Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion

I think so too!

Just got the CD last night myself. Dig the 'In Rainbows' style packaging. I was really hoping for lyrics, but alas, no. Very trippy album, yet accessible enough for those who prefer some sense of convention....haha. Open minded Beach Boys fans would probably really love this, but so few will likely actually hear it.

 

I finished listening to it, and I can't say I really want to hear it again. IMO it's a pretty "meh" album, I don't get the praise being heaped on it. I wouldn't say it's bad, it's certainly more creative than a lot of the things out there, but it doesn't move me at all.

 

"open minded beach boy fans"...there's an oxymoron in there somewhere i'm sure....thanks again Rob, money well spent. was great on my headphone listen last night and today it'll get the car listen...

 

Stoner Rock Tock...

Maybe you could 'ask' your master to blow some smoke into your face...

Though your eyes look 'lit' to me... cool kitty...

Indeed, your picture may be the ultimate record review of MPP...



cheers,

 

hahaha...clever boy.

 

A Little Light Music for a Very Gray Day...

Is that a big horn in your hand or are you just happy to see me....


cheers,

 

My local indie store had Person Pitch on vinyl and Merriweather Post Pavilion on CD, so I bought Person Pitch because I hate CDs. Wow, what a great record! I agree that open-minded Beach Boys fans might dig this - parts of this record reminded of Paul Simon's "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard" as played by a supergroup made up of the Smiley Smile-era Beach Boys and Kraftwerk.

I'm gonna go back today and pick up MPP on CD and track down the vinyl when I can.

I also bought a ticket today to see Animal Collective in my hometown all the way in June!

 

So how does the CD sound?

 

Good choice! Person Pitch is great on vinyl. My two favorites are Bros. (probably the best track), and Take Pills.

If you'd be interested in more music inspired by Brian Wilson, Miracle Fortress is a favorite of mine as well. More accessible than Panda Bear, and certainly more pop, Miracle Fortress is a Polaris Music Prize finalist that fans of Panda Bear (and of course The Beach Boys) might enjoy checking out.

http://www.myspace.com/miraclefortress

 

I picked up MPP yesterday. On first listen, I have to say that I don't like it as much as Person Pitch. But it is certainly interesting, and on the borderline of something that could possibly be a commercial hit these days. Parts of it remind me slightly of tracks such as "Lovestoned" from the most recent Justin Timberlake album.

 

FYI - Vinyl is back in stock everywhere! Just picked it up today at Amoeba.

 

really!? I ordered mine from the local record shop a week or so ago but haven't heard back since. I may have to check up on that. Thanks for the update!

 

I received my vinyl yesterday, though I forked over the extra for a first run pressing from Acoustic Sounds. I also picked up Feels. I gave the new album a quick clean and just finished listening to side A of the first record. No clicks or pops, the LP is flat and the sound is awesome. Not as compressed sounding at the CD and the bass has quite a bit more heft than the CD. So far I'm really really digging this!

 

this album is so freaking cool. I've got it with a bunch of new things on random in a playlist and whenever one of their tunes comes on, it blows my mind.

are there other releases like this one?

 

Short answer: yes.

Check out:

Animal Collective - Feels

and

Panda Bear - Person Pitch (solo release)

 

The CD just came in the mail today and am listening now. So far, all I can say is:

 

Tread with caution. Do extensive sound-sampling first. Some of the Avey Tare songs on the previous albums can be fairly grating. I'm not an expert on their stuff, but MPP seems to definitely be their most accessible work. I'm tempted to re-visit Person Pitch, and was even gonna buy it the other day if local indie had it in stock, but they didn't.

It's hardly before-bedtime music, but strangely enough lately I've been zoning out to MPP late night on headphones. That long instrumental break in Brothersport is super trippy. It's odd that this album was released in the cold dead of January. It's gonna sound especially great on a hot summer night.

 

Feels is a close second and one that is nearly as accessible as MPP. Panda Bear is definitely another. The rest of Animal Collective albums are definitely experimental and can be tough to get into.

 

I have listened to the album somewhat regularly.
So far, all I can add is that, like last year's pet Portishead Third, this is an album where virtually every track could be your favorite song of the week.

 

Panda Bear's solo record Person Pitch is the closest, but if MPP isn't Animal Collective's best album than it's Feels (I still can't decide). You might prefer Strawberry Jam though, as a song like Brothersport would be right at home on that album.

The thing with Animal Collective is they never tend to sound like what they previously sounded like.

Here Comes The Indian: Rough and raw, experimental and electric. Abrasive and spastic. Their noisiest and least polished.
Stand out tracks: Native Belle, Slippi

Sung Tongs: Acoustic guitars abound! Stripped down and tribal at times. Twisted camp fire ditties. Sometimes dreamy and meandering. This is the album that gave them the freak folk tag. Fairly accessible for the most part.
Stand out tracks: Who Could Win A Rabbit, Leaf House, Kids on Holiday, We Tigers

Feels: A tough one to nail down. The electric guitar is back. Half the album is floaty, airy and meandering at times, as well as quiet and mellow. Then the other half is aggressive and loud, structured, intense and multi-layered. Most hardcore fans would say it's their best.
Stand out tracks: The Purple Bottle, Grass, Banshee Beat, Bees

Strawberry Jam: Abrasive and electronic. Loud and Psychedelic. Lots of samples and screams. Dense, with hardly a moment to catch your breath between sonic assaults.
Stand out tracks: Peacebone, For Reverend Green, Fireworks

Well those are my opinons of their albums. Much of their music before MMP is challenging but well worth the effort.

 

That my friend is a perfect AC catalog assessment. Well done, and I also think Feels is still my favorite....

 

Thanks for that run-down. Makes me wanna check out the rest of their catalogue even more.

 

Here's another old guy who's recently picked up on this band. I found a used copy of the "Strawberry Jam" CD yesterday, and I like the music very much, but as others have noted, the mastering is just atrocious, and this is a real problem for music like this, which has so much to do with texture!

I gather that for this album--and perhaps for the new one as well--my only choice would be to seek the vinyl if I want to get closer to what this music can offer. I'd love to know, however, if the early CD's all suffer from this problem. Are the CD's of "Sung Tong," "Feels" or indeed any of the earlier records mastered like this or are they done with more sensitivity?

I'd prefer to buy CD's, given that my vinyl rig is just OK, and given that I do a lot of my listening in the car. Let me know your impressions. I'm interested in exploring this music a bit more.

L.

 

bump.

 

Bump, bump.