2009: Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion

Like it's predecessor Strawberry Jam it features the same tripping psychedelic feel as seen on the cover. Only the difference here is that it leans more towards lo-fi bands like Fleet Foxes, they still pack the same beats and repeated choruses that some might find to be headache-inducing and repetitious. Perhaps not the same extent as its predecessor though. This record is far more accessible and consistent, and by far their best effort yet. Animal Collective are still the same, only here you can find more enchanting and harmonic pop-melodies than before. In the Flowers start off the album with an otherworldly feel, that immediately lifts you off the ground. While My Girls is a quite dancable tune, about buying a house for your kids etc. that will definitely have you singing along with the chorus. Summertime Clothes is perhaps the best song on the album with bubbly vocals sometimes drowing as if the singers lips are barely touching the water. The chorus is eerie and catchy as shit. Alot of the songs are powered with lush vocals that are quite so similar to The Shins. The last track Brothersport is a testament to that Animal Collective can create songs upon songs, and still keep the melodies interesting by the end of it. What separates Animal Collective from other indie, 'neo-psychedelic' bands is their use of electronics and sampled instruments, that sounds like a sorted mess, built up from a pulsating bass, harmonic high-pitched vocals and lots of keyboards and dissonant guitars. The album is simply dreamy, and the atmosphere is simply enchanting. While the choruses of nearly all the songs are infectious and will most definitely stay in your head for the rest of the day. I got the same excitement from this record as when I first heard Boces by Mercury Rev, because it has that same dreamy psychedelic pop feel to it. This is perhaps the most beautiful album released in 2009.

Score: 8.5/10

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