Animal Collective: Merriweather Post Pavilion - released 12/01/09

It is virtually impossible to sit still for the whole duration of an Animal Collective album; positive or negative, their music demands a response, be it spasmodic dancing and laughter or a sudden grab for the earplugs.

The wide scope of influences brought by each member produces music without reference to popular conventions. Theirs is not a world of logical key changes (or any key changes at all, sometimes), nor of hummable melodies; rather, of eccentric stage names, far-out vocals and sudden changes of pace.

Band members Avey Tare (real name David Portner), Panda Bear (Noah Lennox) and Geologist (Brian Weitz) are uncompromising as they juggle disparate samples, live instruments and vocals, mixing periods of delicate ambience with powerful vocal lines and tribal beats.

‘In The Flowers’ provides a perfect opening, with dreamy guitar and watery, spiralling effects lasting until Avey Tare sings ‘If I could just leave my body for the night’, ushering in a sudden explosion of tribal beats and pulsating chords. When the euphoria subsides, the earlier textures return and segue into second track ‘My Girls’.

The rest of the album unfolds like an extended dream sequence. Often, ambience provides the link between tracks, but although the divisions between songs might become blurred, each one has its own vivid character. ‘My Girls’ and ‘Summertime Clothes’ are among the catchiest songs Animal Collective have released, syncopated triplet rhythms in the former and a rolling electronic backing in the latter allowing Avey Tare and Panda Bear’s vocals to rise above the mix and compliment each other.

Although the song-writing style is relatively consistent across most Animal Collective releases, their recent shift from folky timbres to a more electronic, sample-heavy sound allows for a broader sonic experience. The variety allowed for by this depth of texture is demonstrated throughout, particularly during ‘In The Flowers’, and contrasting tracks ‘Daily Routine’, ‘Taste’ and ‘Lion in a Coma’.

Penultimate song, ‘No More Runnin’’, slows the pace right down with an affected piano sound, before ‘Brother Sport’ acts as a coda to the album; suddenly springing wide-awake, celebratory Beach Boys-esque vocals are repeated over and over to a close.

Such are the shifts in tempo, and the leaps between unrelated melodic fragments, some might contend that ‘Merriweather Post Pavilion’ is a difficult record by an unfocused group of musicians. However, repeated listens allow penetration of the stranger aspects of the collective’s style, and it becomes apparent that not only is this their most accessible release yet, but also that it comes completely without filler. Animal Collective might not have any sight of a mainstream breakthrough, but with an album as strong as this freshly released, there’s no better time to give them a try.

Find Animal Collective at their homepage or on myspace.

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