Modern Classic Review: Merriweather Post Pavilion - Animal Collective
9.8/10
Background: Animal Collective is an experimental/psychedelic pop group from Baltimore, Maryland that has been releasing music since 1999 but did not really hit their stride (that joke was a reach) until the mid 2000s. AnCo is arguably the most lauded indie act of this generation, although there is a lot of competition for that. They are Pitchfork approved, Metacritic approved, Consequence of Sound approved, everybody approved. The only people who ever negatively rated the classic AnCo albums (MPP, Strawberry Jam, Sung Tongs, Feels, etc) either didn't understand it, were behind the curve, or were looking for attention. Animal Collective is constantly pushing the boundaries of pop music, incorporating influences as diverse as noise, psychedelia, folk, electronic, and more. Their releases have been consistently inconsistent, as they switch genres by the album. Yet, though all their weirdness, one thing has remained constant in their music: a strong ear for pop hooks. Their songs may be weird, abrasive, trippy, and odd yet nearly all of them feature immaculate songwriting and are incredibly catchy. MPP is the group's poppiest effort to date, as well as their most popular and influential.
Review: I suppose the most accurate comparison that can be made for the album, and one that has been made more than a few times, is to call this album the modern Pet Sounds. I think this is quite an apt comparison in terms of innovation and vocal technique, but obviously not in terms of literal instrumental sound comparison. In that regard perhaps Veckatimest - Grizzly Bear or Shields - Grizzly Bear (I am a big Grizzly Bear fan if you couldn't tell) is more of a literal comparison. The experimental element of this album is quite present, although it is diminished from the folksy and downright weird Sung Tongs or this album's less-poppy-more-experimental-but-still-poppy predecessor Strawberry Jam. This is still a fairly easy album to listen to, despite AnCo's completely undeserved reputation for being a "difficult band." Truly appreciating some of the instrumentals, time signatures, and song structures might be difficult for the average listener, but the vocal melodies remain easy and heavily Beach Boys inspired. Go learn how to enjoy Death Grips or Merzbow (this album is literally just static). Maybe a little free form jazz or some extreme metal a la Emperor or Napalm Death (no link needed). Or maybe the thirty five minute songs of Swans. Fun fact: early Swans performances were so loud that police would have to carry off audience members who were dizzy and vomiting due to the sound, and lead singer Michael Gira would regularly cough up blood and break ribs during the show due to the combination of the sound and getting hit by audience members. Those guys are strange. AnCo sounds like a commercial jingle next to those guys. If you can compare an artist to the Beach Boys, they are not a difficult proposition. Despite its poppiness it is still quite a strange album, filled with psychedelic and overwhelming synths. At the same time however, there is a beauty to the walls of noise that are featured heavily on this album, one that does not take much of an acquired taste to appreciate.
To break this album down track by track in the manner I usually do would be completely pointless for this album. Even though I usually count this as a negative for most albums, anything I could write about one song here would also apply to the song following it. They all feature watery, noisy synths that threaten to drown out the vocals (shoegaze, anybody?). They all feature slightly off kilter rhythms and drumming. The vocal melody on every song is catchy, and the background vocals are all Beach Boy-esque. The lyrics are all slightly cryptic, minus maybe "Bluish", and are generally quite happy. Instead, I will just point out the moments that stand out to me.
My favorite track on the album is without a doubt "Bluish" and I do not care one bit about all the objective journalism rules I am breaking by picking a favorite song. "Bluish" is easily one of the best pop songs ever written, and by ever I mean including the entire discographies of The Beatles, The Beach Boys, and Michael Jackson. "Bluish" features a sample at the beginning that almost makes the song sound as if it is underwater, and then suddenly the sun comes up and rays of light shine into the dark of the ocean. The vocals, although beautiful on the whole album, are particularly gorgeous and catchy. The lyrics, which are usually not a focus for AnCo, are quite literal and truly incredible. Simply put, this is a beautiful song. The lyrics are beautiful. The melody is beautiful. The instrumental is beautiful. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.
Another noteworthy track is "My Girls". This was the big single off the album, the one that charted the highest, the one that won all the awards. The big fish. While I do not think it compares to "Bluish" I do think it is an excellent song. The vocal melody is catchier than a cold, and the song builds and falls in a quite spectacular way. The drums are particularly important in this track, as they essentially dictate the pace of the song throughout. The song is quite interesting lyrically, describing a desire to live simply and to live for love rather than material gain, a desire to own a house and own a place to live and use it to protect the ones you love. It's a beautiful message, albeit one that is delivered in a fairly strange manner.
Some other incredible moments on an album filled with them include the explosion of synthesizers halfway through "In The Flowers" and the proceeding second half of the track, the harmonies of "Summertime Clothes" and how incredibly complicated some of them are, the melody of the chorus on "Taste", the gorgeous ballad that is "No More Runnin", and just how scarily well this album is described by it's cover. The optical illusion on the cover perfectly fits the swirling, flowing music that it contains. Good call on that cover AnCo.
This album's influence on modern pop music is quite significant, although subtle. There is no other group quite like Animal Collective, and I can't name a group off the top of my head where I write them off as an AnCo ripoff. Yet there are subtleties that can be heard everywhere. Groups/artists that owe a debt to Animal Collective include indie juggernauts such as Ariel Pink, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Deerhunter, Toro y Moi, Neon Indian, Yeasayer, Foster the People, Hot Chip, LCD Soundsystem, Fleet Foxes, Dirty Projectors, and even the mighty Arcade Fire (links to show the level/quality of band that call Animal Collective an influence either directly or indirectly) can thank MPP and Animal Collective for expanding what is palatable for the modern indie consuming public as well as ideas in regards to structure, feel, and melody.
All in all, there is no doubt in my mind that Merriweather Post Pavilion is a modern classic, a landmark album of the 2000s. It has the critical acclaim, it has the popularity, it has the influence, it has the experimentation, it has the reputation needed for an album to be considered a modern classic, and in time a classic album. There is no debate. MPP = modern classic.
HIGHPOINTS: EVERY POINT
LOWPOINTS: NONE TO BE FOUND
Recommended albums: Lonerism - Tame Impala, Veckatimest - Grizzly Bear, any of the AnCo members' solo albums.
Review: I suppose the most accurate comparison that can be made for the album, and one that has been made more than a few times, is to call this album the modern Pet Sounds. I think this is quite an apt comparison in terms of innovation and vocal technique, but obviously not in terms of literal instrumental sound comparison. In that regard perhaps Veckatimest - Grizzly Bear or Shields - Grizzly Bear (I am a big Grizzly Bear fan if you couldn't tell) is more of a literal comparison. The experimental element of this album is quite present, although it is diminished from the folksy and downright weird Sung Tongs or this album's less-poppy-more-experimental-but-still-poppy predecessor Strawberry Jam. This is still a fairly easy album to listen to, despite AnCo's completely undeserved reputation for being a "difficult band." Truly appreciating some of the instrumentals, time signatures, and song structures might be difficult for the average listener, but the vocal melodies remain easy and heavily Beach Boys inspired. Go learn how to enjoy Death Grips or Merzbow (this album is literally just static). Maybe a little free form jazz or some extreme metal a la Emperor or Napalm Death (no link needed). Or maybe the thirty five minute songs of Swans. Fun fact: early Swans performances were so loud that police would have to carry off audience members who were dizzy and vomiting due to the sound, and lead singer Michael Gira would regularly cough up blood and break ribs during the show due to the combination of the sound and getting hit by audience members. Those guys are strange. AnCo sounds like a commercial jingle next to those guys. If you can compare an artist to the Beach Boys, they are not a difficult proposition. Despite its poppiness it is still quite a strange album, filled with psychedelic and overwhelming synths. At the same time however, there is a beauty to the walls of noise that are featured heavily on this album, one that does not take much of an acquired taste to appreciate.
To break this album down track by track in the manner I usually do would be completely pointless for this album. Even though I usually count this as a negative for most albums, anything I could write about one song here would also apply to the song following it. They all feature watery, noisy synths that threaten to drown out the vocals (shoegaze, anybody?). They all feature slightly off kilter rhythms and drumming. The vocal melody on every song is catchy, and the background vocals are all Beach Boy-esque. The lyrics are all slightly cryptic, minus maybe "Bluish", and are generally quite happy. Instead, I will just point out the moments that stand out to me.
My favorite track on the album is without a doubt "Bluish" and I do not care one bit about all the objective journalism rules I am breaking by picking a favorite song. "Bluish" is easily one of the best pop songs ever written, and by ever I mean including the entire discographies of The Beatles, The Beach Boys, and Michael Jackson. "Bluish" features a sample at the beginning that almost makes the song sound as if it is underwater, and then suddenly the sun comes up and rays of light shine into the dark of the ocean. The vocals, although beautiful on the whole album, are particularly gorgeous and catchy. The lyrics, which are usually not a focus for AnCo, are quite literal and truly incredible. Simply put, this is a beautiful song. The lyrics are beautiful. The melody is beautiful. The instrumental is beautiful. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.
Another noteworthy track is "My Girls". This was the big single off the album, the one that charted the highest, the one that won all the awards. The big fish. While I do not think it compares to "Bluish" I do think it is an excellent song. The vocal melody is catchier than a cold, and the song builds and falls in a quite spectacular way. The drums are particularly important in this track, as they essentially dictate the pace of the song throughout. The song is quite interesting lyrically, describing a desire to live simply and to live for love rather than material gain, a desire to own a house and own a place to live and use it to protect the ones you love. It's a beautiful message, albeit one that is delivered in a fairly strange manner.
Some other incredible moments on an album filled with them include the explosion of synthesizers halfway through "In The Flowers" and the proceeding second half of the track, the harmonies of "Summertime Clothes" and how incredibly complicated some of them are, the melody of the chorus on "Taste", the gorgeous ballad that is "No More Runnin", and just how scarily well this album is described by it's cover. The optical illusion on the cover perfectly fits the swirling, flowing music that it contains. Good call on that cover AnCo.
This album's influence on modern pop music is quite significant, although subtle. There is no other group quite like Animal Collective, and I can't name a group off the top of my head where I write them off as an AnCo ripoff. Yet there are subtleties that can be heard everywhere. Groups/artists that owe a debt to Animal Collective include indie juggernauts such as Ariel Pink, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Deerhunter, Toro y Moi, Neon Indian, Yeasayer, Foster the People, Hot Chip, LCD Soundsystem, Fleet Foxes, Dirty Projectors, and even the mighty Arcade Fire (links to show the level/quality of band that call Animal Collective an influence either directly or indirectly) can thank MPP and Animal Collective for expanding what is palatable for the modern indie consuming public as well as ideas in regards to structure, feel, and melody.
All in all, there is no doubt in my mind that Merriweather Post Pavilion is a modern classic, a landmark album of the 2000s. It has the critical acclaim, it has the popularity, it has the influence, it has the experimentation, it has the reputation needed for an album to be considered a modern classic, and in time a classic album. There is no debate. MPP = modern classic.
HIGHPOINTS: EVERY POINT
LOWPOINTS: NONE TO BE FOUND
Recommended albums: Lonerism - Tame Impala, Veckatimest - Grizzly Bear, any of the AnCo members' solo albums.
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