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BUZZ CD Review - Animal Collective
Animal
Collective
By Michael Connor
The new and highly anticipated
Animal Collective release,
Merriweather Post Pavilion, is a
continuation of the bands evolution
and experimentation in the art
of musical composition. While the
band refuses to sit on the same
styles with every album, they keep
with them always a familiar air of
something like a child's curiosity.
To line up their previous works up
to now can be compared with the
scene of a child playing with a toy
xylophone or piano: you set it
down in front of them and go
watch television, still faintly hearing
them tinkering with the keys,
then suddenly you hear them playing
a comprehensible tune and
you say “goddamn, that's some
talented kid!” Such might be the
response of early naysayers of
Animal Collective's musical
genius.
Although I find this album the
most accessible of their efforts,
thankfully they do remain strange.
On other releases, especially the
very early ones, attention was
demanded to make heads or tails
of what was going on. Not only
that, but on the first listen you
found yourself asking “what kind
of song is this?” On Merriweather
I was rarely taken with surprise
when the next track would start,
nor did I during the song have any
anticipation of something unexpected
to happen. Despite that,
each song is smoothly constructed
and each invoke a consistent
pleasure.
Among the obvious changes
would be the heavier, simpler, and
repetitive beats found in most of
the songs. Not that Animal
Collective are strangers to repetition,
as they have made droning
songs aplenty. There are still the
occasional oddly timed beats or
protracted measures that could
trip you up. The effect of more
prominent and big beats(coupled
with the streams of notes and
vocals) is an extremely trancy
feel. A twisted way to example
that might be the repeated phrase
“lion in a coma lion in a coma,”
forming the thought that falling
into a coma-like state may
become an appealing idea.
Assisting the steady beats are
some solid harmonics. In contrast
to their usual inclination to throwing
discordant noise into other-
wise serene pieces, Animal
Collective have given in to the
beauty of their songs. Here they
are allowing the sounds and voices
to flow forth into natural cohesions,
bringing the listener down a
river of ecstasy and only laughing
like a blissful idiot when descending
the waterfalls.
Something else that is noticeable
on Merriweather would be clarity.
Along with the cleaner harmonies,
the vocals have more lucid tendencies
than on past albums.
Reverb is frequently used, but the
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