Merriweather Post Pavilion

I bought this on CD - yes, CD kids - because a music magazine (Q if I were to guess) had wanked themselves into an absolute frenzy over it.

I remember feeling slightly underwhelmed at the time, and this remains my feeling having had another chance to give it a spin. Yes, there's some clever indie Beach Boys vibes here but it ends up feeling like a technical exercise. Which, yes, OF COURSE the music press absolutely loved.

Feel like I've tried listening to this album previously and not really getting into it, but don't really remember it either. Not recognizing it this time.

Either way, I'm not really getting the hype despite its status as a hipster classic. I think that's mostly the age on this album. This album could only have been made around the time it was. Does not really work for me in the year 2025. Its generally a fun, quirky, happy album, very Beatles influenced, just not doing it for me. Kinda felt the same way about the Beach House album I got early on in this project. Probably would have given it a 4 back in the day, but now, its a 3. Great album art though.

Have tried many times but never got the hype with this album. Dense layering of synth textures and rhythms echoing around a big reverby space with all the digital bells and whistles thrown into the mix, combined with breathy multi tracked vocals weaving in and out of each other among the synth leads. It's a trippy sound that floats and jangles and pulses in a bright sunny haze through a set of meandering strangely baggy seemingly (but not actually) structureless songs. There some cool sounding stuff in here, but they remain an emperor's new clothes band for me.

Within a sea of 2009 landfill indie emerges Merriweather Post Pavilion, one of the decade's most impressive and enduring records. A dense and uplifting experimental sunshine pop record which bounces from shimmering, hyper melodic synths to fidgety psychedelia. This record pushed a generation of kids away from Razorlight and The Pigeon Detectives towards Tame Impala and Beach House. The shift was real and sizeable.

Part of its appeal is that Animal Collective has a foot in two camps. While being uncompromising (gleefully engaging in glitchy excesses which will be annoying to some) they have created highly accessible, well crafted pop songs for those who are swept away by the drama. They are entirely lacking in self consciousness. They have spent no time considering how the outside world would respond to the record or the prevailing forces of music at the time. The results are majestic.

Hatte seine Momente, aber war auch stressig. Für mich nicht unbedingt 1001 Alben was gehört haben muss. -1 Abzug für das grottige Albumcover was meine Augen nervt.

Vibey, but I expected more from an album cover this good.

Not good.
Should music be irritating?

Innovative beautiful sound, perfect mixture of chill and chaos

Fuck this band

The sudden explosion of sound in track one is by far the coolest moment on the album.

This is a decent album. I didn’t care for a lot of it when I heard it years ago, but it’s grown on me. I think there’s still some just ok songs, but Brothersport is probably my favorite album closer of all time.

Worse than Coldplay.

Some really excellent timeless songs on here, but also some diddling pretentious tracks. I love the song My Girls - had a nice father/daughter dance to it in the kitchen with my little daughter.
Sentimentals aside, a good album that isn't entirely my thing.

When I first heard this years ago I don’t think I got it and as a result never revisited until now. I get it now and I like it. Very much Beach Boys inspired. Favorite songs were My Girls, Summertime Clothes, Bluish, and Brother Sport.

I am genuinely surprised this album made the list. It feels like it is scraping the lower end of the 1001 for me.

I understand that Animal Collective are deliberately aiming for something different and boundary pushing. There is clearly ambition here. But as a listening experience it just does not land. The songs feel repetitive and cluttered, with layers of sound competing rather than complementing each other. Instead of creating atmosphere, it becomes an indistinct blur.

At times there are glimpses of something interesting underneath the noise, but the production feels so overloaded that it buries any real hook or emotional connection. It simply did not click with me.

Favourite song: No More Runnin was decent enough and the most listenable for me.
Least favourite: Daily Routine was particularly hard work. Guys Eyes had potential, but the clashing layers turned it into a chaotic mess.
Album artwork: Very cool. The optical illusion cover is easily one of the most memorable aspects of the whole package

After reading the reviews I didn’t think I’d like this and was expecting listening to be a chore … Reader, I loved it! Different and interesting and strangely soothing 😀

Es ist ein facettenreiches Album, das seinen eigenen psychedelischen Kosmos schafft. Es besticht durch seine experimentellen Klanglandschaften, harmonischen Gesänge und kraftvollen Melodien. Tracks wie „My Girls“ und „Summertime Clothes“ sind hypnotisch und zugleich energetisch, was das Album zu einem immersiven Erlebnis macht. Die Kombination aus elektronischen Beats und organischen Klängen verleiht dem Werk eine einzigartige Atmosphäre.

Didn't like it very much

Really cool experience.

Eh, there was a time and a place. Listened to & enjoyed some stuff off Strawberry Jam in my youth, but I don't think about these guys nowadays, and I don't plan to start again