Merriweather Post Pavilion

overrated, nothing special

With music from the last 20 years or so, it seems harder to pick what the really BIG important albums are - but to me this is one of them.

I can see why this isn't for everyone, as it definitely is an experimental album, but they tempered it with... I wouldn't go so far as to say a poppiness, but there is a certain sweetness that makes their experimentation into a thing of thrilling beauty. They constructed such an incredibly rich, cinematic sound that it comes across like a constantly shifting sonic environment, which is particularly dazzling on headphones. Like a series of carnival rides all linked together, where you start on the gravitron, then transition into the roller coaster, and then smoothly onto the swirling teacups, one right after the other.

Animal Collective sound like they come from an alternate timeline in which Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys completed and released Smile in 1967, whereupon it set the world on fire, forever changing music as we know it. I want to live in that world. Listening to this album may be the closest I will ever get to feeling like I do.

Something else I remember feeling when I first heard this album was that they had truly found a new sound. A sound that felt unique and modern, while still remaining largely pleasant and palatable. Eschewing both the standard guitar/bass/drums of rock, as well as the dance oriented tendencies and cliches of most electronic music, they carved out new territory between the two somehow. I think that is quite an amazing achievement really. At the very least, they have a truly original, identifiable sound of their own. Career wise, it took them awhile to find the right balance of elements, but they figured it out here and undoubtedly produced their best work.

Over hyped at the time (I completely bought into it, saw them live a bunch of times in this era) but there's still good stuff, albeit patchy

Erinomaista ja erilaista näkökulmaa elektrooniseen suuntaan, unohtamatta kuitenkaan tiettyä poppismenoa. Kuuntelin ekaa kertaa joskus lukiossa ja silloin tuntui jotenkin vaikeammalta, mutta nyt ymmärsin paremmin. Helppo 4/5.

Listened to the album 3 times. It's a good album, with sound collages, incredible harmonies and clever music.

It just doesn't do anything for me, doesn't elicit any emotion. In the end I just zone out with this music.