Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion (180g 2 LP)

Label: Domino

TAS Super List

Located in different continents, Avey Tare, Panda Bear, and Geologist, having operated in their unique way since their inception, have now arrived at a point where their inner logic makes perfect sense on the wide screen. Listening to Merriweather Post Pavilion you’ll hear echoes of everything they’ve recorded to date, especially the mesmeric and melodic repetition of Panda Bear’s last solo opus Person Pitch. The whoops and hollers that have previously held together the sublime, chaotic urgency of their earlier work, now signal the calm sense of euphoria and wonder that ripples through this wide eyed record.

With their constantly evolving sonic identity, in-your-face vocal mannerisms and open-ended ideas about what their music might “mean,” Animal Collective seem designed to inspire obsessive fans and vociferous detractors in equal measure. Merriweather Post Pavilion, their latest full-length, has been anticipated to an almost ridiculous degree, with blogs and message boards lighting up with each scrap of new information or word or a possible leak. No one who’s been looking forward to it should be disappointed. Everything that’s defined the band to this point – all those strands winding through their hugely diverse catalog – is refined and amplified here.

Throughout Merriweather Post Pavilion, Panda Bear and Avey Tare sing in a newfound clarity, enraptured by the possibilities of the sound they’re making. This record feels like a defining moment for Animal Collective; linear, wild and beautiful, it’s the sound of a band waiting, with arms open wide, to tell you about what they’ve found. And it’s something pretty special.

“Merriweather Post Pavilion is a perfectly organized record, not a note out of place, not a second wasted. It has the excitement and energy of Sung Tongs, the ragged sonic glory of Feels, and Strawberry Jam’s ability to make separate parts come together in a glorious whole. Like the best experimental rockers surging toward nirvana — from the Beach Boys to Mercury Rev — Animal Collective have not only created a private soundworld like none other, they’ve also made it an inviting place to visit.” – AllMusic

“Put the album on again. Listen hard. Focus on each sound, analyse it, pin it down, pull it apart. It’ll just shift under your gaze and run off laughing. Or you could just run with it.” – NME

ID: Domino – DNO 219