It’s times like these I wish I wasn’t such a sucker for hype. Now that it’s dropped, the album has already been called “best album of 2009″ (only six days into the year, mind you). But before that, news and gossip about Merriweather Post Pavilion has been coming up for several months now, and after the quality of 2007′s Strawberry Jam (as well as its 2008 counterpart EP, Water Curses), it’s easy to see why. Animal Collective are definitely onto something…I’m just not sure what. Fortunately, I’m not sure they know either.
MPP continues on and refines the sample-delic, experimental pop trend they’d ushered in with Strawberry Jam and Panda Bear’s highly-acclaimed solo effort, Person Pitch. Instrumentally, electronic flourishes dominate the album here – so much so, that my friend recently wondered aloud, “are there even any guitars on this album?” To this end, Animal Collective is known as much for their songwriting as for their experimentation in soundscapes. On the bright side, these idiosyncratic electronic musings never impede upon the surprisingly sharply-crafted pop hooks of Avey Tare and Panda Bear. And presumably, this is exactly what has given the Collective their recent share of positive mainstream recognition – sure, their aesthetic is a little avant-garde, but their newfound, clean-cut catchiness wins out in the end.
But is it their best? That’s what I’ve been hearing from multiple sources, and I’m having trouble putting that idea to bed. It’s definitely their best-sounding from a production/mixing standpoint, but personally, I think I still favor 2005′s Feels above all else. This new record has some of their greatest songs and gels together well as an album, but the pacing is a little awkward – some of the best songs are over before I know it, and others seem to drag on, despite the tracklist not having any marathon-length epics. It was those songs that, when properly executed, provided a hypnotic rest from the sometimes-overwhelming nature of their albums.
Regardless, MPP is an extremely strong contender – they’ve improved upon the vibe of Strawberry Jam and probably expanded their fan base significantly at this point, which leaves me excitedly wondering where Animal Collective will stylistically go next.
Overall: 9/10
