Album Review: Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavilion
When experimental indie rock trio Animal Collective announced that the name of their forthcoming record would be Merriweather Post Pavilion, their fans responded with a variety of reactions. Some showed excitement that the band was paying homage to its Maryland roots, others questioned whether this title signaled a move toward a more amphitheater-accessible sound, and a few were just relieved that they didn't name their album after Nissan Pavilion (we kid, we kid.) In fact, Animal Collective has just announced that they will be opening their American tour this May with a show at the 9:30 Club, not the title's namesake. But if any album in their catalog could inspire a massive growth in their fan base, it would be Merriweather Post Pavilion.
Although Animal Collective's music has been panned by some as inaccessible and raucous at best and an exercise in patience at worst, the band has not completely rejected every last building block of popular music. In the midst of the maniacal screams, jarring ambient noises and incomprehensible lyrics, they have juxtaposed catchy melodies and masterfully beautiful sonic layering. On Merriweather Post Pavilion, Animal Collective perfects the pop elements that they've always incorporated into their music while using their freakier sounds as more of an accent than a focal point.
This new found accessibility might lead people to believe that the band actually has designs on large fanbase growth. Forgive me for finding this hard to believe of three men who take press photos in animal masks and covered in paint (or condiments), but one certainly could make that point. The tight harmonies that singer/keyboardist/guitarist Avey Tare (nee David Portner) and singer/percussionist Panda Bear (nee Noah Lennox) exhibit in "Almost Frightened" sound only a hair off of the Staley/Cantrell harmonies of the early '90s. "Bluish", featuring hushed vocals by Avey Tare, is probably the most straightforward love song the band has ever released. The controversially leaked and highly danceable "Brother Sport" is begging to be mixed by a thousand DJs. Furthermore, the minute in the middle of the song of electronic bleeps had replaced what had been a full minute of Avey Tare screaming his throat out. Even lyrics like "I only want a proper house" found in the first single, "My GIrls", hint that a more accessible album might seriously help out husband and father, Panda Bear.
Make no mistake, however. The reason the album has received critical acclaim and positive fan reaction is that there is no question that this is the work of the same band. For one thing, it's not terribly difficult to draw direct lines to their older material. The keyboard sample in "Daily Routine" sounds very similar to the one in Strawberry Jam's "#1". The effect that makes Avey Tare sound like he's singing underwater during "Summertime Clothes" was the same effect used in last year's "Water Curses", and so on. In the broader spectrum, most everything on this album sounds like a logical progression from their previous work. When sprawling, haunting opener "In the Flowers" opens up, there's no question whose album this is, and lest the listener need reminding, the Beach Boys-esque vocal loops, ambient sounds and creative percussion are there to remind them.
Calling Merriweather Post Pavilion the best album of 2009 is about as absurd as calling the results of the Super Bowl after the opening kickoff, but Animal Collective have pulled off two masterful feats. First, they've made an organic sounding (rather than synth-heavy) record out of primarily electronic sources. Second, they've managed to pull together eleven beautifully written songs that both preach to the choir and convince the unconverted. As far as I'm concerned, Panda Bear, if you want those four walls and adobe slats for your girls, you've earned them.