Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion (2009, Domino)
purchase this CD (Amazon)

The optical illusion cover for Animal Collective’s latest and eighth release, Merriweather Post Pavilion, is more than something fun to look at while under the influence of the sort of drugs you might like to be on while listening to it. Curves of bright green ovals on a purple background, they appear to be in motion when we know they’re stationary. It’s an apt representation of the album’s dueling thematic components: fantasy versus reality, whimsy vs obligation, restlessness versus tranquility.

These themes of Merriweather Post Pavilion manifest in both the musical and lyrical content. Guitarist Josh Dibb, aka Deakin, decided to take time off after Strawberry Jam, so the remaining members — David Portner aka Avey Tare, Noah Lennox aka Panda Bear & Brian Weitz aka Geologist — wanted to create an album with samplers as the primary instrument, much like Panda Bear’s highly acclaimed solo album, Person Pitch. Unsurprisingly, the result is pretty similar to that album, but with multiple aesthetics combining, Merriweather Post Pavilion is jumpier, more in your face (or ear, as it were).

As part of these dueling themes, the samples seem divided between two different types of effects — those that echo nature, the rush of the wind or the flow of a river, and those that recall constructions, like music-boxes, carousels or video games. Opener “In the Flowers” sounds like discovering a carnival hidden within a swamp. “No More Runnin” is a piano-driven singalong played on the edge of a lake. (more…)