Merriweather Post Pavilion

No other band quite sounds like Animal Collective. It’s strange and beautiful, and listening to them just makes me so happy. I like Strawberry Jam better than this one, but this one is really good. I just love the sounds these guys make.

Wait I've actually heard a song on this one and I love it. Very interested. I think I'm really gonna like this one. Woah. Holy shit. I'm gonna put a pin in this and come back with headphones holy moly. It's very crunchy and interesting. I don't really know what's happening but I like it. Yes very interesting very fun. I really like this it feels like a normal song someone remixed or something its crazy. I can definitely believe this influenced music forever it’s sooooo. Don’t even know what to say really. Favourite: My Girls Least favourite: No More Running

302/1089 quite liking this indie pop, less-synthy M83 sound. Also a bit of a Wallows vibe. meant to write more notes but i was vibing with it and i feel like i don’t necessarily need to add more. it was a pretty good album, missing that “spark” that would push it into a “safe” 5 star for me faves: Daily Routine, Brother Sport, No More Runnin 82/100

Very millennial coded album

I have a new favorite obsession. I could tell it was going to take a few listens but it's worth it. Exploring more now. Love it!

One of my absolute favorites. I own it on vinyl. One of AC’s finest

I dug this one. Nice and trippy sound. 4.5 bumped up to 5.

I've tried to get into Animal collective a few times to little success, but I actually really enjoyed this album this time around. There are some really great synth sounds, percussion, and vocal melodies. I really enjoyed this album, and will be adding it to my regular rotation. My only complaint is that the last couple of songs are a little bit of a drag. Low 5.

I discovered this album when I was a teenager and felt -very- smug that I actually really liked proper music that was a bit weird. And you know what, I still do. This album holds up, I love the discordant sounds (always did, always will) and there is something very enjoyable about them to this day. I also appreciate this album serving as a gateway into other, weirder shit - as I'm sure it did for others too. Well done lads, you smashed it! Also who doesn't love looking at that album cover!!

It’s a real banger of the 2000s indie era, one of the best to do it, and overcomes the fact that a lot of these kinds of textures feel a bit baffling now they’re out of the zeitgeist. NOT SO with this lot. Well done gang

#325/1001. Turns out I’m 3 degrees of separation of away from the Animal collective. But I guess that is just because I know someone from Iceland (from the music scene). But as far as the music goes the seoaration diminishes to 2, 1, 0. It's there any separation? This is my music, although I didn't make it. We don't play guitars. For me this album is a proof that pop music can still evolve, change, open new doors, step out of the path instead of following the same footsteps hundreds have followed before. One can hear animal collective in a lot of things that came after this, merely imitating the sound, stealing glimpses of it, somehow because surpassing the sound experimentation vs pop attitude in this album would have made everyone fail. This record sets some limits for pop sonics and until they change it will be a 5.

5/5

I consider 2010 the year I "got into music" (so to speak), and 2011 the year I started keeping up with new music. these years were formative not just for my taste in wiggly air, but also my life as a denizen of the Internet. since forums, wikis and digital databases were my main source of knowledge on music of the past and present, my first memories of Animal Collective are of me scrolling /mu/, seeing memes about the songs and cover art of Merriweather Post Pavilion (their newest album at the time) with no other context. after a little digging, I realized I was slightly too late to the party. the 9.6/10 score MPP got in Pitchfork upon release in '09 was a shot heard 'round the digital music world. some listeners and critics received this thing with a level of rapturous fervor rivaling that of The Beach Boys' most loyal adherents. I would also come to discover that Animal Collective was one of those bands that most people either loved or hated, without much middle ground. to this day, even relatively accessible albums in their discography like this one tend to raise the hackles on some people (are they "Also Frightened"?). personally, I've become a big fan of their 2000s work over the years, and I view MPP as the culmination of a pretty great run of music that encompasses a huge range of stylistic and emotional ground. in particular, it feels like a streamlining of the electronic pop insanity their previous album (2007's Strawberry Jam) achieved with flying neon colors. I mentioned The Beach Boys earlier; there's no doubt that MPP is in conversation with Brian Wilson, one of pop music's foremost innovators of an earlier era. the sonic and structural avenues Animal Collective travels down here are spectacular, especially on the A-side. "My Girls" features a subtle metric modulation, with its prominent synth motif turning from triplets into sixteenth notes without changing their speed. once it switches over and that 4/4 groove settles in, the mixture of vocal harmonies, sparse, syncopated drums and reverb-soaked synths that follows is irresistible. the same applies to the propulsive dance of closing track "Brother Sport". but my favorite track, "Daily Routine", moves speedily through some simple, deadly catchy melodies which then get suspended in time dilation for its last two-thirds, creating a spectacular auditory blur. decent 9/10.

So fun

Every time I listen to Animal Collective I lose track of the fact that it's Animal Collective and I think that I'm listening to Something New by the Beach Boys. I do not say this as an insult but as a compliment.

Already one of my favourite albums! My girls is my favourite track, also up there with one of the best album artworks of all time

I've seen this album cover before. Idk why I thought it was from the 60s? I don't believe i've ever heard anything by these guys before, but it's probably pretty likely I've heard *something* in a commercial or movie if they're as popular as they seem to be. so let's go... 1. In The Flowers - This ones cool. I like the sound and vibes, kinda spacey, i wasn't blown away by it at first. The wall of sound after "leave my body for the night" is nice as fuck tho. 2. My Girls - This one's really cool, I like! very sweet 3. Also Frightened - This is so cute wtf??? 4. Summertime Clothes - This one is fun and cute! 5. Daily Routine - Oooh, I love the sound of this one! It's really cool 6. Bluish - this was cute also 7. Guys Eyes - eh for this one. Production is cool tho 8. Taste - I really like this one! it's cool! 9. Lion in a Coma - idk about the start of this one, bestie. Lyrically, I get it. Okay cool. Production wise it's not vibing with me at the moment. 10. No More Runnin - Ooooh, I love the hazy feel to this. 11. Brother Sports - not vibing with this one at all lol. I think on relisten this is the only one I will 100% skip. So, this is a 4.5. I think I'm just gonna bump it up to a 5 cause honestly I really did like it overall. It kinda reminds me of Magdalena Bay a little big (but I like MagBay's music more lol). The mix of psychedelic lyrics and production meets electronica is just so fun and interesting to me. Like a meet of two of my favorite things in music, it's wonderful P.S. I hate the album cover, it makes me dizzy Interestingly, I really don't believe I've ever actually heard any of these songs ever before.

My wife walked out to My Girls at our wedding. Top 5 album on this list for me, every note is perfect.

I have an history with this album. At first I hated it with a passion and when I saw them live at Dour it confirmed what I thought : pretentious and getting on my nerves with this psyche rock and those synth waves. Then some years later a guy told me that this album needs time to get appreciated and indeed it clicked. The choral singing got me and the repetitive synth lines became hypnotic rather than boring. I was hooked and it became an heavy rotation for some times at home. Favorite songs: My Girls ; Also Frightened ; Summertime Clothes ; Bluish ; Taste ; Lion in a Coma ; Brother Sport

lol

Top 5 albums of all time

Masterpiece. Sounds like nothing else.

ive said something in this project before to the effect of If Ordinary People's Palates For Timbre And Structure Were Just A Bit Wider, Lightning Bolt Would Be The Biggest Rock Band In The World and i think thats also p true of anco being the theoretical biggest pop band in the world. i always kinda find myself thinking about Conventionality when i think ab anco because what they offer is consistently What Just About Anyone Wants From Music...intensely memorable and exciting, fills ur ears and scratches ur brain, equally rewarding to both surface level novelty and long term investment. and like the best pop music it takes ordinary feelings and experiences and blows them up to a size that makes u feel justified in reacting to them as strongly as u do...the aging, shimmering anxieties all over this record in particular make me think ab how much anco from the v beginning is about the Passage Of Time, and how the Surrendering experience they evoke leaves u so vulnerable to it. perhaps that sense of surrender is another hurdle? idk man. anyway, this is a near-perfect album, tho it has never been one of my very favorite ancos,,, im by far the most into the early stuff and even from this period i find the records on either side of this one a bit more adventurous and song-for-song memorable. but esp considering it not as the out-of-context indie darling i first heard it as, but as a natural result of where it is in their career trajectory, i like it more and more each time i return. i rly just oughta do a big anco re-dive...they are the biggest pop band in the world after all!!!

So many reviews are so riled up over this album for no good reason. I really enjoyed this album! I didn't find this challenging (thanks Throbbing Gristle, nobody is more challenging than you), nor did I find it boring. I think some of you guys just like being angry.

The pretentious, Pitchfork reading millennial musos got this one right at least. This is awesome. A disorientating, yet playful experience designed for a trip on acid or shrooms, yet still fun and intriguing to delve into in a sober state. You've got all sorts of layers of swirling, warpy electronics and echoing vocals duking it out with one another because why not, but the songs remain anchored to catchy pop sensibilities, follow logical structures and exude a very human warmth, ensuring it isn't just an alien lab experiment gone wrong. The production on this one is immense as well, providing the ideal, vivid platform for these songs to wrap themselves snugly around the surface of your eardrums. It reminds me in many ways of Yo La Tengo's more experimental tendencies, LCD Soundsystem, The Flaming Lips and Brian Wilson crossed with IDM/space ambient. No surprise that Sonic Boom would later take an interest in these guys, sounding out Panda Bear for a collaboration. It's gone onto the purchase list. Sorry, not sorry.

Outstanding

Favorite track(s): In the Flowers, My Girls, Summertime Clothes, Daily Routine, Bluish, Taste, Brother Sport Even if the album wasn't amazing, I'd still rate it 5 stars for the criminal underrepresentation of AnCo on this list. Heard before Previous rating: 8/10

These sounds shouldn't work together, and yet they do. It’s a kaleidoscope of styles creating a beautiful album.

this is so peak

Already know this one, and I remember being not too taken on it on first listen in 2009. I gave it a few more listens because my then-girlfriend now-wife really loved it and it clicked at some point. It's a great album, and something I could listen to often. 4.5/5

𝘔𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘗𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘗𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘯 feels like a glimpse of what pop music could sound like in an alternate universe — one where the Beatles kept recording into the 2000s and 2010s and fully embraced psychedelic electronics. The album is overflowing with color and movement: layered harmonies, looping patterns, warm synth swells, and rhythms that seem to stretch and fold around themselves. It’s experimental, but never alienating; joyful, but never shallow. The songs shimmer with this sense of ecstatic possibility, as if the whole record is in constant bloom. For me, it’s one of the rare albums where ambition and accessibility meet perfectly.

A perfect encapsulation of it's era. Blending trippy electronics, beautiful and haunting harmonies to create a modern psychedelic classic. Full disclosure: first album I remember listening to while high and it felt both like an eternity and not long enough. A truly entracing experience listen with great speakers or headphones.

This is peak Animal Collective and solid from start to finish! Not my introduction to the band but definitely the most "accessible" of their "pop" albums, shit it's not close to pop but that's the best word I can think of, and honestly it's probably the closest they'll ever come to crossing over into the mainstream and they really never sniffed anything close to that!

Gotta be one of the most recognizable acid pop albums out there, and it's for a good reason. Makes me feel all fuzzy inside.

Outside of this challenge I got into Panda Bear this year and I've planned to check out Animal Collective for some time. Lucky for me the challenge is helping me out! This is so fun, so vibey, exactly what I anticipated.

I remember not understanding the hype around this when it came out and thinking it was kind of noisy and weird. After getting into Panda Bear over the last year or so this is a lot more palatable. This has pop sensibilities with oddball instrumentation. There are tons of hooks in here. Really good, I like this a lot.

The height of their animalistic raw power.

One my all time favorites, didn't have to listen again because I know it well, but of course still did

This is blowing my mind. I honestly wasn't sure that I would like it very much at first glance and from the first impressions of the first song. Maybe I just needed to have a different perspective, and the first song helped me get there for the next one. Idk. But man, I am vibing hard to this. The middle of the album has been getting progressively worse, but "My Girls" and "Also Frightened" set a high bar, honestly. The album also really picks up at the end again, starting with "Lion in a Coma". I'm honestly pretty blown away at how much I really enjoyed this. It's complex and modern, without being aggressive or what ends up sounding painful to me. The harmonies are excellent. I save 1 album every 20 or so days from here, and this is one of those. Looking forward to getting to know this album better while doing some chores. Favorite Song(s): My Girls, Also Frightened, Lion in a Coma

Masterpiece.

This one was a really pleasant surprise. I'd never heard of them before, but they have a fun, interesting sound that I really enjoyed.

Учитывая, что это единственный альбом группы в списке, у меня просто нет выбора (но это не лучший их альбом, и это не любимый их альбом для меня лично; вместе с тем, благодаря легендам про него и p4k, я вообще узнал, что такое Animal Collective, и весь этот ваш rym, и так далее, и поэтому это абсолютно заслуженные субъективные пять, потому что ведь это не только про музыку, но и про личный опыт, ес ор ноу?). Лучшая песня - Summertime Clothes.

Truly an exceptional album, felt like an experience in a way most things don't. I had been meaning to listen to this for a long time and I'm glad I finally did.

So good. Put this on headphones and went for a long walk. Was thoroughly entertained. The album has an amazing cohesiveness. The production is dense and multilayered. I loved it.

This album sucked my dick and cured my cancer. 11/5.

Not bad...new listener.

I hated this in 2009 and thought anyone who listened to it was pretentious. I enjoyed it this time and wish I’d been part of the cool gang in 2009.

Day 60, 10th record I own. This was the first new* album I felt was a favorite since I was mostly into classic rock prior. It remains a favorite. I can’t recall the timeline perfectly but I think I was a fan of “The Purple Bottle”, “Grass”, “Fireworks” and “Peacebone” before this came out (thank you Limewire). Maybe I had heard all of Feels but most of the new indie music I liked were the hits. Every song is a 5/5 for me. *Kanye’s debut and sophomore albums were a big deal to me but I wasn’t aware of their importance while MWPP felt like a revelation. Other favorites at the time were Raw Power, Marquee Moonlight and Loaded.

Great album

Excellent

Really love this album. Incorporates so many genres and has enough of an edge to make it interesting

Am I a hipster because I like this album, or do I like this album because I'm a hipster?

I was surprised by how much I liked this. It was quite refreshing, and the overall sound was unique

Weird I randomly listened to this last week. My Girls is a top tier song. So bouncy and fun. Honestly this entire album is. Summertime Clothes is awesome. The break in Daily Routine is so dreamy. I'm getting lost in your cuuuuuuurls. LioninacomaLioninacoma. Excellent use of digeridoo on this one. Harmonies and production kill on this one. Like if the Beach Boys took DMT and made an album. Would 10000% take drugs and listen to this.

God damn, I love this album. One of those rare cases where an album is hyped to the max but actually lives up to the hype. 5/5 Highlights: My Girls Daily Routine Brother Sport

my girls my love summertime clothes, it's all QUALITY

Phenomenal album from start to finish.

This whole thing was fantastic

Wound up listening to this all day. Great example of an album that is far better than the sum of its parts. Hard to choose single songs on here that I really love and want to add to playlists, but listening to it all together is an absolute pleasure. Such creative music.

Merriweather Post Pavilion is the best psychedelic record of the 21st century. This album takes you on a blissed out journey inside and outside the mind with or without drugs. It’s all so very immersive. Had this been made in the 1960’s, Animal Collective would be spoken of with the same breathlessness as The Beatles. They did what any truly great band does…took their influences and modernized the hell out of them making it sound new. This is also Animal Collective’s most consistent record. Others have moments of artistic brilliance but never as often as on here. Mostly though, the songs are just great. Highest highlights are My Girls, Bluish, Summertime Clothes, Lion In A Coma, and In The Flowers.

Felt a little blast of nostalgia with this one, it took me back to a very specific time and place in my life. My Girls has been a song in my regular rotation over the years, but I haven't listened to this whole album in probably 15 years. It's always interesting to see if and how time changes our perspective and our listening experience. No idea how I would feel about this if I was hearing it for the first time, because it's kind of weird, but I love the way it radiates with a unique type of sunshine while also having a dreamy quality about it. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy and makes my heart happy. Bonus points for a cover that moves!

Ovo se 2009. činilo ko apsolutna budućnost Indija nije se desilo. Ali je i dalje sjajno

Very good

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.

I’m going with my guy here after 3 full listens having saved this one for years, it’s probably a 5.

It was weird I liked it a lot

Glassy joyful weird in a good way.

It is an utter masterpiece i do not care what people say.Such a fun album.

Innovative beautiful sound, perfect mixture of chill and chaos

10/10

-Some of the greatest experimental music of that era -No skips on the entire album -None of the album feels the same -Best Songs: In The Flowers, My Girls, Bluish, Lion In A Coma, Brother Sport -Worst Songs: None of them -Overall Rating: 9.8

i just love these kind of music.

Makes you frantically search if you accidentally have something else playing in the background, but it somehow works? Interesting ideas and a genuine experience.

I don’t think it’s a perfect record, but the nostalgia I have for this album and period of my life is immense. If you listen to this album and don’t feel anything, re-evaluate your relationship with pop music.

I had no idea what I was missing. The chanting, the mix of ambient noise and synth and guitar... it strikes me like a comforting blend of pain and pleasure. Yeah, this is what I'm missing from my life. 4.5/5

ok this rocks 5/5 electronic, pop, experimental, melancholy, psychadelic beats

Animal Collective are mainly known for their experimental and psychedelic style and MPP nicely mixes this with slightly more poppy melodies. The singles My Girls, Summertime Clothes and Brother Sport in particular are fantastic songs. This album has a really big sound.. probably like Pet Sounds would've come out like if it was made in the 00s. Loved this when it came out and loved it again on a re-listen

Brilliant.

Really cool experience.

LITERALLY TRANSCENDED Omfg this is the best thing I’ve listened to in a while

I was expecting some twee bullshit, and I certainly got it, but it's the sort of twee bullshit that's really resonating with me this morning. This sort of thing is anti-anxiety music for me. The layers hold the key. Lots of stuff for my idle brain to latch on to and discover resting in all the nooks and crannies.

I've seen this album cover a million times, had the CD, but looking at it on the screen here was the first time I actually realise it's a visual illusion. Great album, aged better than I expected. I used to be addicted to My Girls and its still one of my favourite songs, but there are many good tracks on here and the flow of the album is very strong. The psychedelic, futuristic but also animalist vibes are entrancing. Fave Tracks: In the Flowers, My Girls, Also Frightened, Summertime Clothes, Brother Sport 4.7/5

5.5/5 it gets an extra .5 for the album cover

the sun listens to this to get motivated to rise on a cloudy day

I listened to this album constantly in highschool sitting on the side of the maths building alone. I didn't have anyone to talk to so i'd text my friends on the steam app and eventually telegram about whatever we were listening to. I would listen to /mu/core and they would listen to FELT or Deco 27. I would always eat the samething at lunch, the chicken sandwich with a ton of pickled jalapenos, a little salad, and a 250mL water bottle. It was the only thing my school sold offered that didn't taste bad so I defaulted. --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- I was worried that the only reason I liked the music i did for a while was because it was critically acclaimed. It gave me a bit of a complex and that I could only for my opinions based on the taste makers i knew nothing about. I listened to this because of such acclaim but literally nothing anyone said about the album is what connected to me. I just thought it was cool and had no words for it besides "the way people describe this is wrong." It made me feel more sure of myself. --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- This is the only Animal Collective album on this website so I need to state my love for this band. They have been a part of my life since I was 13 and their music has impacted me so heavy I once again have no words. Strawberry Jam and Spirits they shited spirits they farded continue to have songs that play key moments in my life. In The Flowers and Brothersport have been placemarkers for multiple life events. I think that songs from this album will play in other key moments in my life. I feel I cannot escape this band because i love them so much. --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- Didn't like lion in a coma until this listen tho

This was mind blowing when I was in college, now i find it endearing, vulnerable and absolutely beautiful.

LOVE THIS ALBUM. I was introduced to this band by a former coworker during a secret Santa gift exchange. I played this album on repeat for several weeks after that. This is not a word I use to describe music very often, but this album is truly hypnotizing. It definitely works best in the background while you’re working on something cause it can be super super repetitive if you’re paying too much attention, but it’s infectious. Like it grows on you and gets better and better with every listen. Definitely check this album out, it’s my personal favorite of their whole catalog.

A have a soft spot for this album (and “My Girls”) because of how I discovered them (a fave podcast at the time) and that time of my life. I still love the album, though, and I think it actually is a good representation of indie pop in the almost 2010s.

Loved this when it first came out, still sounds amazing!!

4.5

The cover really matches the music. I've never listened to this group. I am sure I would've passed over this because of the band name had the opportunity presented itself. This album is a pleasant surprise. This type of spacey pop with reverb layered vocals is exactly what I'm looking for. Adding this to the playlist.

There is truly is nothing quite like Animal Collective. This album may seem experimental, artsy, dense and complex - and I mean, yeah, it kind of is all that - but in its core, it's just a raw expression of childlike energy and imagination. You either love it or hate it; and personally, I could get lost in the swirly, layered synths of these songs every single day of my life and die a happy man.

a really fun, a little bit off the wall album. there are some really fun sounds and songs on here. some really fun play with time signatures. in my opinion, this is one of the epitomes of 00s indie music. fun, sideways, unique. the album cover hurts my eyes. my love of this album cemented the fact that, deep down, i am a late 00s hipster.

I've loved this record for years and still do. Something about it just works for me. That said I could see how people would hate it. That seems to be the theme of this project.

already listened to it. exceptional, one of my favourite albums

9/10. Most of the songs made the playlist. Great album. Will listen to more of them.

Essential.

Cool trippy background music.

I really liked this record. It reminded me very much of Brian Eno.

My Girls - kaleidoscopic, loved it Also Frightened - instrumentals are awesome and wouldn't be out of place in the Hotline Miami cutscenes, vocals are really yucky. The vocalist is like if my aunty told me at a family event that my annoying cousin moved overseas to sing and make music and I should checkout his first song. This is the vocals of that song. Gave this one a second go, vocals aren't that bad but not as good as others on the album. Summertime - I really like this one, vocals and instrumentals are both great. Bluish - I really liked this spacey one. It all came together, instrumentals and vocals, very nice. Guys Eyes - really creative instrumentals and sounds that actually sounded pleasant. Kind of an epic track all put together, really impressive. Taste - like this one a lot. Everything on point, enjoyed the lyrics, vocals and instrumentals. The jingle bells added a lot Lion in a coma - chaotic and unique in a cool and fun way. Liked the oingo bingo instrument throughout sounds great. Might have been a didgeridoo too but that was a nice addition No more runnin - loved the instrumentals and vocals on this. Very spacey and chill. Brother sport - very frenetic energy. Very dense with stuff going on I'm the middle and comes together at the end in a satisfying way. Overall a great album, lots of variety every which way. I can't think of a track that really misses, but there are plenty of hits. I've listened to this album a few times now, it's damn good and gets better each time

A masterpiece in all aspects except for the fact its slightly overproduced. Been listening to this for years but it's never had that spark of pushing it to be a 10. 9/10 Fav tracks - all of 'em

Millennials really cooked with this one.

It’s one of my faves and the production and songwriting and lyrics r just a one. Also love their voices

only complaint is vocals too quiet sometimes but damn this is a great album

animal collective is dope

Press play for pleasant flashbacks of formative psychedelic experiences.

My college roommate introduced me to this in 2009 and I hadn’t relistened for more than a decade. Love the maximalist sound, vocals, production. Very Phil Spector “wall of sound” vibes.

I wish all pop music could be as fun as this album. Cute lyrics about family life set to wild bouncy loops of electronics. Banger after banger after banger. 'Brother Sport' is an insane way to end an album.

"Merriweather Post Pavilion" is the eigth studio album by American experimental pop group Animal Collective. This album combines the electronica-based sound of their previous album "Strawberry Jam" with a lusher, multilayered production. Guitarist Dekon (Josh Dibb) left after their previous album which led to the band's extensive use of synthesizers, samplers and reverb. Animal Collective was a trio at this point including Panda Bear (Noah Lennox), Avey Tare (Dave Portner) and Geologist (Brian Weltz). Commercially, it hit #13 in the US and #26 in the UK and critically, it had wide-spread acclaim with many labeling it the best album of 2009. Heavy machinery noise opens "In the Flowers." Dreamy with sampled voices and piano keys as Avey Tare describes meeting a girl dancer and they dance the night away until the morning when leaves her flowers. A great midway explosion with a drum beat and fast-paced keys. The wind blowing and synth-layered keys lead off their first single "My Girls." Great lead vocals by Panda Bear as he sings about only wanting a house for his wife and daughter, no social status. Hypnotic, superb backing vocals by Avey and just a fantastic song. I like the way they change the intro of each song and in their second single "Summertime Clothes" it's loud echoing synth sounds backed by a beat. The song is catchy and builds. It's a hot night in the city, Avey can't sleep and just wants to walk around with a girl. "Bluish" seems to be a straight-forward love song. Swirling synth keys and an organ. Avey sings in a falsetto. Panda Bear harmonizes the backing vocals. The closer ""Brother Sport" opens up with Panda Bear singing "You got to open up, open up your throat." It's a song with repetitive and hypnotic lyrics, beats and noises. The song with the most noise, synth and vocal layering and it completely works. It's about Panda Bear encouraging his brother to talk about his ordeals that have troubled him. One of Animal Collective's best songs. This is a great album and one of my favorites of the 2000's. Pyschedelic, dreamy and hazy but catchy. There are great lead and backing vocals sometimes harmonizing like the Beach Boys. Everything serms very detailed with the beats and multi-layeted synths. A high recommendation from me.

Interesting

love it

One of the easiest 5* I'll ever give. Didn't realise this album was actually on the list, but more than worthy of being on here. This is probably one of my most listened to albums of all time (as well as Strawberry Jam). There isn't really a song on here that I don't like, and My Girls is one of my favourite songs of all time. Fav songs: My Girls, Bluish, Taste

Love this album. Have it on Vinyl. Some weird parts but I like them.

You know it's a gem when you scroll down to "Shorts remixing this video" section on youtube and see a video titled "When you have no friends:" Probably the first album I did a complete 180 on, at first it was annoying, didn't feel like real music, and I cared very little. Now I can't get enough of it. Truly hypnotizing.

Big fan of this one. Just some great 2000s indie electronica pop type stuff. I think I've gotten other albums by animal collective on this list but I think this'll be the only one that lasts with me because every song is excellent. My girls, summer time clothes, and bluish were my faves.

A wonderfully strange album that is more refined than previous albums by this band. I love the earlier stuff, but this album is just a lovely vibe. Good stuff.

I saw this band

One of the best albums of the last 25 years.

One of the most insane and impressive auditory experiences ever. From the start of the first track, you have no inkling that there is going to be loads of catchy poppy choruses on this album, but there are, all over. The first time I heard this album, it was like sensory overload. After my 5th listen, I can really appreciate the production and all the keyboard stuff that happens. One of a kind album, and my belief that this is Animal Collective's masterpiece, and they already have a lot of great albums

Not for everyone but definitely my king of music. This was the top of my Top 50 list in 2009, here’s what I wrote then: Animal Collective really came into their own in 2009. They are still one of the weirder bands out there, but they are paying more attention to songs and melody and the result is both one of their more interesting and out there albums to date. Like Radiohead, they do their own thing and the other bands can only watch- the only difference is Animal Collective is several shades more out there than Radiohead. At points scary, beautiful, psychedelic, spacy, experimental, catchy and just plain messed up, they still are not for everyone- in fact, I believe they remain an acquired taste. But it's my favorite album of 2009, and that's what this list is all about.

5 stars for the nostalgia alone. This is one of the defining albums of my life, and I’m glad to hear that it holds up so well. Just an absolute joy.

Loved it

I rather enjoyed this collection of upbeat psychedelic pop, which is full of ambition, euphoria, electronic noises, catchy tunes, vibrant vocals, the works. Its kitchen sink production might put some people off but I like it. Sod it, I'm giving it a 5 :)

Cool sounds

Surprising hit

Oooooooh yea. This album is poppy and fun, but also experimental, which makes for a cool and varied experience. One of my favorites when it comes to psychedelic pop.

I’m fascinated by the way rhythms overlap on this album. As a former drummer (once a drummer, always a drummer), I love listening to offbeat rhythms or oddball time signatures. On song after song, Animal Collective introduces a series of beats, rhythms and melodies that at first seem to conflict. But give it a minute and everything clicks into place. This is dense, layered music but the big picture is stunning every time. Listening to the beginnings of these songs is like watching someone put together a puzzle of an abstract shape. It looks wrong at first but in time, the full strangeness of the picture takes shape and makes sense. What really helps this music work though are the emotions. Animal Collective have a big heart and these songs resonate with earnestness. The music also captures a childlike wonder and sense of play. As complex and intricate as the music gets, it doesn’t feel pretentious to me. They sound like they had a lot of fun experimenting in the studio (and presumably smoked a lot of weed). And as polished as the final product is, it still has that feeling of friends goofing around. For years I appreciated Animal Collective at a bit of a distance. This album came out when I was in college and I respected it without fully embracing it. But last year Animal Collective put out a great album called “Time Skiffs” that unlocked their sound for me. It’s a lighthearted album of psychedelic pop and very approachable by their standards. I read a review of that album that referred to the Beach Boys influence in their music and that comment hit me like a bolt of lightning. I’d hadn’t thought of that before but once you hear it, it’s hard to miss. The way they harmonize is right out of the Beach Boys playbook. And that bass drum thump in “My Girls” could easily be a timpani hit lifted off of “Pet Sounds.” This album has grown on me over the years and it gets better and better. Classic album cover too. Very trippy.

The contrast between the first two reviews currently topping this section is hilarious. Personally, I feel like eating an apple this morning, instead of digging my brain so as to find a clever line. Sure sign that I will give this album a 5/5 grade--truth be told, I've loved it for a long time now, even if I remember how dumfounded I was by it at first, when it came out in 2009. Not that the other review panning this record isn't smart in its own way. Yet I feel like using your intellect to judge *Merriweather Post Pavilion* will never do it justice anyway. This a communal, instinctive, trance-like party album. You need to let go to "get" its peculiar dynamics, hence why so many folks talk about drugs and being high in their reviews. Not so many records work like that in the 21st century. You usually need to return to the 60s and the 70s to find such brilliant experimental pop records, sonically daring, yet also paving the way for promising popular developments in the future. I know AC themselves would probably fret a little about the obvious references (they went down into rabbit holes far more obscure than the names I'm about to drop), but think Beach Boys, the 13th Floor Elevators or The Seeds with 21st century sounds (most specifically electronic when it comes to *Merriweather Post Pavilion*). There are too many highlights in this LP to mention them all. "In The Flowers" is a gem--a telluric opener whose rumbling rhythm evokes ancient deep forces of the earth ; "My Girls" is obviously one of the catchiest, most endearing tracks Animal Collective has ever written--one where it's easy to relate to the feelings of its narrator wishing to settle with his family at last ; the final vocal climax in "Also Frightened is a magical moment--it feels personal and heartfelt, and yet in keeping with the psychedelic mysteries gracing this LP from start to finish ; and "Brother Sport" is a riotous closer that leaves a lasting impression long after the album is over Funny coincidence: last week, I have interviewed Animal Collective's Deakins and Geologist for a music website I write for. Their latest album *Isn't It Now?* has just been released, by the way, and if you enjoyed *Merriweather Post Pavillion*, check it out, it's one of their best LPs in their twenty-year+ discography. We didn't really discuss this 2009 breakthrough record the 1001 Albums app has selected for me today--Deakins didn't play on it, he was on a sort of amicable hiatus with the band at the time (all the band members have done this at some point or another during AC's career, an open-door philosophy that is quite rare in the music business). So I didn't feel it was appropriate to mention said record during the interview. And we didn't have a lot of time on our hands for the interview anyway... That said, what I took away from this moment I shared with two of the band members is that they're never been the trendy hipsters some of the reviewers see in them when you browse through this section's reviews. Today's trends being very different from the band's adventurous knack for noise, hectic surges, and goofy moments, I'm not so surprised by the current low global score they received in this app. But I'm confident the wheel will turn again and that they'll find fans in the next generations. So yeah, past trends can't fully explain Animal Collective's appeal, whether back in 2009 or now. The topics and moods conveyed through each of their records indeed follow their progression from young adult artists to middle-aged ones--it all seems very sincere, and devoid of any calculated thoughts about hypes and fashionable sounds (Pitchfork's usual raves about them be damned). They're just doing their thing, and since their brains are wired in a very idiosyncratic manner, the results have always been off-kilter for a lot of casual listeners. Yet once you dig a little further, beyond all the unexpected layerings and weird arrangements, you can sense a real heart beating in most of the band's songs. It just takes a little time to "get" it somehow. But once you get it, this never gets old, believe me. Number of albums left to review: 393 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 275 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 144 Albums from the list I won't include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 193

It's a polyphonic masterpiece. It kind of swims back and forth between Panda Bear's poppy, saccharine vibes and the dark psych tastes of other members. Truly an album that is more than the sum of its parts, and a modern classic in my mind. This had a huge impact on my taste when I listened to it during high school.

Very trippy. I like

i love

better than i remembered it. definitely gonna come back to this again and again

Although I listened to a lot of indie in 2009, I somehow missed them. What a shame, because this record is fantastic.

The absolute most important record in Animal Collective's discography, Merriweather Post Pavilion gathers every sound they've gotten their hands on up to that point and allows it to gleam and shine as though it was radiating with a sense of purpose. This is what the sound of the zeitgeist sounds like and it just so happened to have come out at the most appropriate time, when the last vestiges of alternative/indie rock still held on to the imaginations of those who still thought of it as a world-beater and the nucleus of the culture. Some may say they've soared before this, some may claim they did afterward. All that is known is that they wouldn't come out of it the same way again.

My fav. It all just fits. Beautiful sounds, the cover sums it up exactly. Big at the peaks, soft when it needs to be. Conceptually sound. Favourite type of album done right. Big influence on my taste. SOT: All of them 5/5

Love it

Funnily enough, this is one of Animal Collective’s most accessible albums. This experimental suite like record weaves elements of noise, ambient, and electronic music together with a sunny almost Beach Boys like core. The result is a wonderfully disorienting yet deeply resounding piece of music.

It’s hazy, layered, droney, pop and it’s fantastic. Animal Collective does a great job filling every song with all the sounds without giving me anxiety, this is a good one to have an edible and throw some good headphones on for. My Girls still holds up as an indie classic but it’s not the only jam here, Summertime Clothes, Brother Sport are both excellent as well. This whole album is awesome, even the cover is trippy. great summer vibe tunes here. 5 stars

Weird, psychedelic, noisy, and yet very listenable and groovy. Sort of has an indie electronica thing going on. I don't think I had ever heard of Animal Collective before, and I certainly don't recognise any of the songs. However I must say that I enjoyed this a lot. The weird psychedelic indie synth-pop vibe of this album is very down my alley, and it's just a shame that I had no previous knowledge of the album. Definitely one I'll come back to. Favourite: Brother Sport

this is the first album i've generated that i've already heard before and luckily i already love it. "summertime clothes" is still such a bop and "bluish" has grown on me a ton and is also way more shoegaze-y than i remember. i didn't even remember "taste" but now that's probably one of my favorite songs on the album. the soundscapes in the background of these songs are like a psychedelic rainforest and it's incredible. i had a little bit of a worry that i wouldn't like it as much as i had when i first heard it but nope: it's still great and i honestly might like it more than before.

an old favorite

Thank you 1001albums for showing me the majesty of Animal Collective. They have somehow learned how to turn my idyllic hopes for my childrens futures into song! It’s what I imagine charging a spirit bomb feels like. How three people?(One is listed as a panda bear) managed to harness the power of hope and weaponize it into synth folk pop is flabbergastery of the highest order. I wonder if this is what saint walker felt when charging his ring? Anyway check out merriweather post pavilion if you want to feel better about literally everything in the multiverse.

4.5 stars, probably the peak Animal Collective album. I think the whole album is fantastic, only thing that detracts a half star is that it's such a maximalist assault on the senses that a full, uninterrupted listenthrough can get a little much for my brain to process. Not quite as many peaks and valleys as an AnCo album like "Strawberry Jam". "My Girls" is one of the most iconic songs of the 00s, "Bluish" one of my favorite love songs, and"Brother Sport" an all-time album closer. Rounding my rating up instead of down this time to help the average against the philistines who will inevitably give this a 2 or something.

Keep it real, give a real shout-out

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.

Open up your open up your open up your

I have a vague memory of hearing My Girls in a TV Show and getting immediately hooked. A long time fan of this album each listen for this project has brought me a lot of joy. Fave: My Girls

I REALLY like this. This band was WAY ahead of their time. Definitely going to listen more.

Fun and fresh

Ai jai. Tässä on kyllä ihan maagiset saundit, jaksaa kyllä kuunnella vuodesta toiseen. Oikeestaan kaikki biisit on konsistentisti tosi hyviä, paitsi Lion in a Coma ja ehkä Brother Sporttia ei aina jaksa. 5/5 kesäalbumi. Lievästä meemistatuksesta huolimatta on tää sen verran lähempänä vitosta kun nelosta että ehkä sen voi antaa.

Nonnih, tuleehan täältä sitä hyvääkin indietä. Tää on se, miten Beach Boysin ja ehkä Beatlesinkin perintöä siirretään onnistuneesti 2000-luvulle. Ihanan kesäistä pop-trippailua. Ja aina löytyy jotain uutta ja parhaat biisit vaan paranee (Bluish !!). Vaatii tosin ihan ok äänentoiston, että toimii. Kämäsillä napeilla kuulosti joskus tosi lattealta.

Been there done that, Great Album

Good Shit.

Very cool. Big fan. Reminded me of Beach House in the first half. 4.5 rounded down to 4. Favorite tracks: My Girls, Also Frightened, Daily Routine, Lion in a Coma.

Oh yeah. I'd save this to a soundcloud playlist in a heartbeat.

The culmination of Animal Collective's impressive mid/late-00's run of albums is the band at their most accessible and approachable. The melodies and hooks stick all without sacrificing their out-there and experimental production style. It sounds like uncanny valley Beach Boys playing from another dimension, with the bright vocal harmonies contrasted with washes of psychedelic noise. I remember at the time this album and the three prior were coming out I did not get this band. I thought it was all a bunch of noise and critic fodder. But I was still quite young. I definitely understand them now, although I still can't get into their pre-Sung Tongs stuff. That's just too much. Key tracks: My Girls Summertime Clothes Brother Sport

Not at all familiar with Animal Collective before today. Some of the previous reviews for this album were concerning, and after listening I can see how this wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea. My take is that it feels like Vampire Weekend meets John Adams. John Adams the American minimalist composer that is... not the founding father. Minimalism uses repetition... lots of repetition.... lots and lots of repetition to create layers and textures of sound. The result if done right is music that has a nearly entrancing feeling to it. What's different here is that Animal Collective uses pop and world music elements to get the effect rather than classical music like John Adams. I think the end result here works. I like it... though definitely something I need to be in the right mood to listen to.

I thoroughly enjoyed this. It’s a woozy and jittery project that explores and experiments with so many cool psychadelic ideas throughout. I love the inventiveness being paired with plenty of earworm passages, forming a formidable tandem that brings these tracks to life. The lyrics I caught were intriguing as well and worthy of a closer look. The second half didn’t quite keep up the momentum of the first but was interesting nonetheless. An excellent display all-around and a great first impression, for me. I could see myself bumping this up after another listen or two. 1 listen Favorite Tracks: My Girls, Summertime Clothes, In The Flowers

I’ve tried listening to this several times over the years, and this time it hit more than others. I obviously don’t have nostalgia attached to it but it’s not as off putting to me as it used to be and was an enjoyable listen.

I listened to this a bit when it was new. Really fun, creative album.

Really cool immersive sound. Love the timings of Daily Routine and Lion in A Coma. Love the sweet sound of No More Runnin.

I see what the hype was all about. Sonically, this is Wall of Sound by way of late-Sixties Beach Boys by way of late-period Fab Four; If you instinctively skip the George Harrison sitar tunes on Beatles albums then you'll probably hate most of this. But I dig it, even though it has a little too much treble for my taste; the vibe is woozy and exciting but not too disorienting, with a good amount of buzzy energy. "Guys Eyes" feels like a *Surf's Up* outtake in the best way. This is the sort of thing Bob Pollard could've made in the Nineties if he hadn't been busy drinking away entire production budgets (or if he'd at least spent the money on better drugs). Figuring out what this album signifies is a thornier matter. For a band this capital-C Cool, some of the more overt bohemianism is unconvincing; it's hard to take "Taste" seriously coming from guys as fashionable as Avey Tare and Panda Bear, for example. But on the whole the sonic experimentation seems to free them to be sincere, whether they're feeling just straight-up lust (the erotically charged "Bluish") or something seemingly more prosaic but equally meaningful - the Millennial yearning for a house and a family ("My Girls"). "I wanna walk around with you" is as pure an expression of desire as you're ever likely to hear ("Summertime Clothes"). And when Bear declares on "Brother Sport" that "until you're fully grown you've got a real good shot" he's both encouraging the Peter Pan generation to move forward and explaining why we've tended to forestall that reckoning for as long as we can. *Yeah, we'll be middle-aged children but so what*, as Pollard would say.

(Light 7/10) Maybe AnCo are one of those artists I'm just never really gonna click with. That being said, this album is fairly enjoyable. Absolutely must hear with headphones on, any other way is not optimal as you don't quite get the same kind of immersion this music requires. The first half of the record is the strongest, with more discernible hooks and pleasant sonic textures that; despite the repetitious cyclical nature of the songs, do add up to something overall enjoyable. Unfortunately for me though after the song "Bluish" the album kinda enters unmemorable/annoying territory. I was not a huge fan of "Lion" or "Brother Sport" as much and "No More Running" felt very catatonic to me. I think this album is just waiting for a "right place, right time" kind of "a ha!" moment to finally click, but as with other AnCo albums I've tried before, this one felt like a lot of things happening all at once that sometimes by accident form enjoyable songs or moments. Absolutely peculiar album.

Super interesting and very creative. I never really found a 'groove' with this.... ranking this a 4 anyways

Quality indie very wall of soundy at times. Summertime clothes and my girls are great songs.

Heheh, There's a review for this album on here that made me laugh. I'm not going to say which one; that'd be mean. Look, if you read what I've written, you'll realize i can barely piece two sentences together. I'm just writing this note so in the future when I see this, I can go find that review again and have a good time. Regarding the album itself, yea, it's good. I like it. It's definitely the most accessible Animal Collective album of the ones I've heard. Admittedly though, I haven't heard anything past this one. I listened to Sung Tongs a lot and some of the others and that was about it.

3.5 favs: my girls, summertime clothes, brother sport

This is a really good album, I knew one song before. After 5 or 6 listens most of the album is solid.

Such a cool, psychedelic, new agey indie album.

I almost loved this album. The first two songs had me locked in for an epic album, but there are so many songs that just throw the groove off. It's so close to being great. They almost have the formula figured out.

Like putting Pet Sounds in a blender. In a good way.

3.6

Really cool album cover, songs sound super modern for 2009. 8.1/10

Fun mix with sounds like Beatles and a more modern pop band I can't think of right now but enjoyable!

It was interesting but in the same way a teenager on the keyboard is interesting

A cerebral rather than emotional experience. Beautiful and complex. Although I prefer Panda Bear’s solo stuff or his work with Spaceman 3’s Sonic Boom to anything Animal Collective have done, they’re still good just not great.

I can't remember where I've seen that album cover. Better than I was expecting, reminded me of the Beach Boys.

4/5

8/10

I was intrigued and impressed enough to listen to this twice I’m still not sure what I feel about it but I’m certain I like it.

i didn't think i was going to like this album as much as i ended up doing so at the beginning, but it was a different and energizing vibe and this band will be now on my radar for other songs/albums!

knew this one was a /mu/ classic so i had low expectations but yeah this is pretty cool actually. very trippy, very hazy, very Beach Boys-y. "Summertime Clothes" makes me want to frolic in a field.

I really like this. It's an ideal amount of weird and an absolute treat

Si no conociera de antemano la música de Anima Collective no sé si me hubiera gustado el álbum. Creo que no son un grupo tan accesible porque para mí van más allá de lo psicodélico. En fin, excelente, y legendario, álbum de este siglo (al menos).

I’m at a 3.5 that I’ll barely bump up to a 4. The first half of this album is good. Genuinely, really good. I think the mundanity of the lyricism blended with the heavier, electronic/psychedelic soundscapes make for a good contrast to each other, balanced in a way that doesn’t let one overshadow the other. My problem here lies in the second half of the album, where the soundscapes very clearly overshadow the lyricism / vocal delivery. The care that’s put into keeping the album balanced feels skewed in the wrong direction, and while I don’t think there’s any bad tracks here, at least for my own tastes, I found myself significantly less satisfied by almost everything from Track 7 onwards, save for “Brother Sport”, which is just a super fun closing track. Interestingly, you can see this exact split on Spotify, at least in terms of the play count. There’s a dip downward for tracks 7 through 10, before jumping back up at the end. It tells me that the experimentation this album really leans into on those tracks just didn’t click with a lot of people, and while I can’t exactly prove why… I mean, look, it’s probably the wall of noise. Those 4 tracks lean into it heavily as a production trick, and while it has its place, it’s just overtuned in a way that makes the already flowery lyricism of this album a bit harder to grasp than the more clearcut & digestible first half. Past that, the vocal structures each track takes (especially apparent on “Lion in a Coma”) become REALLY hard to follow, or at the very least, they just don’t mesh as cleanly with the instrumentals as they did in the first half. If this album stayed as consistently strong as that first half / last song, it would definitely be within the range of a 5. It’s a fascinating listening experience, especially for 2009, and I admire a lot of the swings this album takes to try and push the general direction / trend that MGMT’s album set up in a unique enough way. At its best, this album really holds up into 2026. It just barely maintains it consistently enough to warrant bumping it back up to a 4. Hence, a 3.5 that I’ll bump up to a 4. It is an album one should still hear before they die, if only for the experimentation of it all & the genuine sweetness behind both “My Girls” & “Summertime Clothes”, which are probably my two favorite tracks here. Special shoutout to “Daily Routine” for secretly being the most morbid track on the album – pay really close attention to those lyrics and tell me if that daily routine looped the same way the second time around. I think the traffic might’ve got him, hence the long outro. It’s the sort of clever production work I really admire, which is why the lack of sustainability hits that much more harshly. I did enjoy it, and despite its flaws, I do think it barely earns a 4, if only for its ambition.

Super influential sound, perfect music to disassociate to

I didn't like Merriweather Post Pavilion all that much back in 2009 but now it sounds refreshing and a lot less irritating than I remembered. Requires right state of mind. 3,7 or so.

core to my tetris career

I like a lot of branches of the psychedelic tree, including this one that includes EDM and art rock components. It's a shade too long and they might not be as profound as they think they are, but when 3:17 of My Girls hits, you realize that they might make you work for it but definitely can pay it off. Summertime Clothes and Bluish are other favorites and I like more than I don't on this one. Panda Bear continues to make interesting tracks currently.

4/5 - The epitome of joyful 2000s era indie, which I'm a total sucker for. My Girls is classic. Summertime Clothes is a great time. Also love Lion in a Coma.

Fire lowkey

I definitely enjoyed listening to this, sort of an ethereal, trancey, experimental indie album. It nice to kind let wash over you if you're tired or don't want to focus entirely on one thing in the tracks. Pretty good vocals and interesting instruments, I'll probably listen to this again Solid 75-80/100.

Repetitive, but I really appreciated the overall tone of the album, that was cohesive throughout the whole thing rather than random songs that don’t seem to go together.

My girls

I'm a mark for this genre so unsurprisingly I enjoyed it

I love this album, but I wish I was high listening to it right now.

Cool

Interesting instrumentals

funky fresh

I haven’t listened to this properly for a long time and it was great to revisit. Fun psych pop that was as good to sit and listen to as boogy in the kitchen or put on when driving. It’s a bit overstuffed at times, and the style has been refined since, but I loved it.

6.8

There were times when I didn't know what was going on and it felt like nothing went together, but the more I listened the better it got. I think this is an album that will grow on me, it already has. 4 stars

Fun and engaging

7/10 Favorites: My Girls Guys Eyes

This is very pleasing to the ears. It has so much tension almost makes me feel anxious which I like in music. Love the Beach Boy style harmonies with the acid electronica pop. I have heard a few songs but this is the first time I listened to the whole album. Glad it came up today, this will be getting added to my collection

I liked this more than I should have

Hey look, a (relatively) contemporary album that we actually own and listen to from time to time! Named after a venue that I've been to a number of times! I even had lunch with a friend up near Merriweather Post Pavilion recently! Anyway, I think this is an interesting record, thick with electronics and harmonies. But I don't listen to it very often because it sounds a little too, I don't know, wholesome? There's a near-Beach Boys level of cheerfulness in many of the vocals, and it lacks the kind of dissonance that makes me really love an album. But I appreciate how imaginative it is. 4

Æ leste mæ opp til at det har vært epokedefineranes, og det tror æ på, for det høres ut som alt mulig anna æ hørte i cirka den tidsperioden, uten at æ dermed synes det va spesielt interessant.

Pretty solid, unexpected. 4/5

Wow! This is something different. A US band being totally original. Great stuff.

Neo-psychedelia. I love "My Girls" and "Summertime Clothes."

Cool listen. I liked it more than I thought I would, but it's definitely an album I need to be in the mood for. Got cooler as it went. "Lion in a Coma" and "Brother Sport" were the favorites.

An album that needs a few rotations to really appreciate but so so good when you get there. The way these songs build and loop is just magical.

This is Pet Sounds for Hipsters. I somehow get the felling this band is better experienced live than through a pair of headphones. I didn't altogether love this, but it was front to back fascinating.

Dope

Solid pop album

This is what I like from electronic music: dense and well produced, beautiful soundscapes. It loses some of its complexity in the second half, but all the songs are still fun. Just a really pleasant ethereal sound and satisfying vocals. Some songs drag on a bit too long, but I still loved this album.

Oh wow, I'd forgotten all about Animal Collective. I heard their first few albums back when they first came out, when Animal Collective was just Avey Tare and Panda Bear, and I remember being a big fan. They were just the right sort of experimental avant garde for me back then. Yet somehow, in the twenty years since Sung Tongs, I've managed to more-or-less completely forget they existed. This album brought it all back and reminded me why I liked them so much. Layers upon layers upon layers of totally discordant energy that all comes together to make a glorious cacophony of sound, but which still somehow manages to be catchy and exciting. This isn't an album I'd put on in the background while trying to work. No, this is more an album I'd listen to just for the pleasure of listening to it. Definitely worth a solid four stars.

listened to again great album

If Spaceman 3 and Pet Shop Boys did a thing together, it would sound like this.

Definitely different. And I like it.

It was just cool, relaxed hip hop. Would enjoy more if I had a few more listens of it. Particularly enjoyed when the riff to Raunchy was played somewhere in the mix. 4 stars.

Good, but kinda Pet Sounds for the 2000s

I’ve forgotten what a joyous, yet slightly melancholy, vibe this album was

Man this really took me back - I loved this album when it came out, and it still really holds up. A great collection of songs that still feel influential on the indie scene today.

i dont fully remember but i liked it im pretty sure...?

In all the noise and repetition, Animal Collective made a very memorable and consistent album.

Ethereal, angelic vocal harmonies that sometimes sound Beach Boy-esque. Listening to this album is like lying in a field of flowers on a breezy summer day. Favorite track: My Girls

There’s a fullness of sound and a satisfying rhythm that make the silliness (lyrics and additional noises) enjoyable, rather than annoying. This is a fine line that many other bands have tripped over.

3.5

Difficult to describe, but would compare the experience to trying virtual reality after only ever consuming media on a CRT. Impressively expansive and novel sound throughout this album. I do think it gets a bit lost in the technicality such that I couldn't sing you a single melody from the song, but it's a wholeheartedly unique album and listening experience. Psychedelic, synthy, worldly.

Virkelig godt!! Skal lyttes mere til

Favourite Songs: Bluish

I didn't listen to Animal Collective much when they were in their heyday but this album makes me nostalgic either way. I love rediscovering artists that I didn't pay as much attention to at the time.

Oh hell yeah, 2010's era millenial dream pop. Full hope, joy, psychedelia, wanderlust and wonder. I love this time period of music although animal collective can sometimes be boring and mundane. But I think this music really opens your mind and mindseye at a late teen age while experimenting with drugs. To be fair, thats how I found this album. Taking dry weed hits out of a coke can then falling alseep in the woods. 4 stars, better albums from this era to listen to before you die. But Animal Collective is still worthy of your musical attention when considering 2010's.

sempre que alguém fala de pop psicodélico, eh isso aqui que eu penso! barulheira eletrônica PICA, gostei demais. tinha um tempaço que não ouvia esse e foi uma ótima surpresa. se os beach boys fossem FRITADOS em eletrônica eh isso aí que seria. mto forte bão demais

I thought this was pretty interesting

I think I’m becoming a Panda Bear fan honestly, really interesting musician and the other guy is cool too

Always a delight

I love an album that sounds exactly like how the cover looks

I’m partial to other works by Animal Collective (Strawberry Jam SHOULD be the album on this list) but this is an intricately crafted work that showcases a beautiful depth of lyrics from Avey Tare and Panda Bear. Still, it’s not the band at full strength and it shows in some of the doldrums of the album. It’s really really good, just not great.

Feels like 2009 in here

Fun album, glad to see some Australian talent Fave track: My Girls

Stoked this made the list. 10/10 album cover. 4/5

Animal Collective! This is great, but I love, love, love their album Sung Tongs. It's more stripped back and less pop than this one.

Great album for getting in a groove and getting to work.

I liked the long builds and the first half of the album was great. There were a few tracks that were industrially scratchy/repetitive- so you have to be in the right mood for it. But a great album, very interesting

Wow, this is a discovery. So. Much. Sound. Very much a mood thing, I think on a bad day it would induce a panic attack (and nearly did in the car in heavy traffic today), on a good day would be the best thing ever. Pet Sounds on 21st Century drugs. Recommended.

8/10

I strangely hadn’t listened to any Animal Collective before, it feels like exactly the thing I would have listened to at uni. In fact, it has such a specific 2009 vibe, I could pretty much pick the year it was made before I looked at it on Spotify. I enjoyed listening to this, mainly for the vibes nostalgia - not sure I’d listen to it a lot, but it was fun for the day.

I need fractional numbers for ratings. I didn't like this album enough to give it a 4 but it's too entertaining to give it a 3.

a very specific moment in time i shall not comment on

Enjoyed the heavy layered sound. Kind of makes me think of the Beach Boys and Beatles got access to electronic instruments. Probably not a heavy rotation album but would be good to have some shrooms and chill.

I love the new discoveries, but sometimes it’s so nice to get something I know I love. I haven’t listened to it in a couple of years, but here it is, keeping on being great.

Masterpiece. Thankful this was included in the book, as this was some of the stuff I listened to as a young child.

I really love this thing after all these years - I think it's really lovely and warm

its kinda funny i never think about it but i guess Animal Collective is like one of my fav bands (after steely dan of course) but ... i was listening to this and I was like mentally ranking the albums and thinking this is probably their 5th best album (strawberry jam, sung tongs, feels, spirit they've come, then this one...) and i was like... crazy cuz in saying that I actually still love this one a lot... altho i think when it came out i had a really contrarian take when i was annoyed that this album which is worse than their other shit was being so lauded... anyways its still amazing and AC is really one of the most special bands of the 2000s... very like definitive band for me too ... also very interesting to me that like everything they've made since this album in 2009 hasn't really been that well received or honestly that good.. except the 2022 and 2023 studio albums which are super underated... i do like foridada thoooooooo anyways i love AC

A definite staple in the "pretentious indie rock fan starter pack". Eclectic and adventurous, Merriweather Post Pavilion is a pillar in Pitchfork's hope for credibility. While I enjoy this album, it's not as important as you'd be lead to believe. I 'd give it a solid 7.2 outta 10.

It’s got a cool album cover. Kinda fun but meh

I actually loved this album! It totally fit the autumn vibe I was feeling! I'm not sure if it's something I'll listen to all the time, so that's why I'm deducting one star.

Pretty chill. Kinda weird but i liked it. 4 because i would listen to again

Very interesting, not a bad first album. To sort of map it on artists know, its Magdalena Bay-adjacent, similar sort of electro-pop type beat. Enjoyed my listen and am very willing to give it another go later down the line, 6 or 7 out of 10, if I had to put a number on it. Not at all displeased so far.

Really caught me this one. Very enjoyable

Album 937 of 1089 Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion (2009) Rating : 3.5 / 5 I went into this one a bit indifferent, not really knowing what to expect. It leans toward electronica, which usually isn’t my thing, but this album surprised me by finding a balance that worked. “Psychedelic pop” is a pretty good description - trippy and experimental, but still with some structure and warmth underneath it all. While some parts wandered close to the kind of electronic haze that tends to lose me, it never fully went there. Instead, it offered up some interesting indie-pop textures that hit with just enough familiarity to keep me listening. At times, it even reminded me a little of The Shins - and strangely enough, a bit of my son’s music, too. I’ll have to ask him if Animal Collective was ever an influence. The melodies may not always stand out, but somehow, it still works.

Excellent album that I have heard many times. "My Girls" is one of my favorite songs to test speakers out with. The album is not too aggressive being more relaxed and easy to listen to. It's not real distracting either, it's great to put on when you are doing other activities. It's been one of my favorites and will continue to get a lot of plays from me.

Psychedelic atmospheric music from the late 2000s. Brings me back! Loved this album when it came out. Haven't listened to it in years. Brought me back to smoking bowls and chilling out. Might have to play this one again when I can spark one... really recall that mood and feeling of times past.

OMG I loved this! What it is? At first I was thinking kind of alt/ rock or surf rock but it veers sometimes techno, has no singular voice, sometimes clear and concise, sometimes hard to follow exactly. But it works emotionally. I think that is the key. You more FEEL this band than what might be a typical alt/ almost experimental college radio band. Sometimes it takes half a song, just kind of grooving along before a switch up will hit you in the feels. I am super glad for the 1001 Album generator for sharing this one! Happy days!

4.5/5.

Spezieller sound wie 1970er wie auf einem blumen planeten. Auch tönt es nach unterwasser vibes

Jewel.

The music of Animal Collective is so alien but so unmistakably them I find it comforting. I prefer earlier stuff they did, but was happy for the commercial success they gained with this album. It’s good! It’s not Strawberry Jam but it’s still really good! I haven’t really kept up with the band on their last few releases, but I probably should because this reminded me how much I like them.

Innovative, playful, harmonious. I can see why they’re so influential. There’s maybe a personal cap at which I can enjoy the psychedelic drones and high-pitched loops, but I can recognize why they’re beloved. Peaks: Daily Routine, Summertime Clothes, Taste Pits: Brother Sport

Took a bit to get into it. While I can't name a song, the album had an overall good vibe to it.

Franchement très cool ! J’aime beaucoup l’aspect fouillis de l’album c’était très sympa pas à écouter !

Animal Collective is one of those bands that I feel like I _should_ like more given what I tend to gravitate towards, but for some reason their music has never fully resonated with me. I mean there are individual tracks that I love, but on the whole I have never been consumed. Opener, In the Flowers, is oddly anxiety inducing. Something in between the shimmering, underwater vocals and cascading effects and lopsided bullshit landing around 2:40 just puts me completely offbalance and makes me deeply uncomfortable. Where In the Flowers is uncomfortable, My Girls is a pure pleasure to listen to. Just an anti-materialism/capitalism ode to a simple life that is beautiful. Matching the theme of the song, this one is fairly minimal in construction with the bulk of the instrumentation formed by a combination of sparkly synths, some bass thrums, and tambourine crashes. Summertime Clothes is another favorite of this album. Similar to many other songs here, it is built around a set of repeating synth loops that build are embellished upon. But the vocals have a lovely bounce to them that is infectious. Bluish dips into a more ethereal, dream-like space and the effect is absolutely beautiful. Love the shimmery and blissful nature of it with the layered vocals and dripping + fuzzed synths. The jaw harp (or whatever it is) on Lion In a Coma is goofy, but quite fun. No More Runnin is delightfully sleepy. Gotta say that Brother Sport is one of the more annoying things I've listened to recently. I come away from this listen no more wowed than usual. This is a fine album and it has the ability to transport me back to a distinct time and place. I like what AC are after and I think it connects well on many songs as described above, but there are a few cases where I find their loops to be incredibly annoying even bordering on uncomfortable. For that I give this a softish 4.

My Girls is a top 100 all time song. This album has some good lore. Shoutout Merriweather. Cool album cover.

'If I could just leave my body for the night / Then we could be dancing.' B/c of the assumptions I had - that Animal Collective could only be enjoyed by all white cross country teams in the Northeast - it took some time for this record to grow on me, tho only about three mins into the opening track. Their most obvious pop-music analogy is The Beach Boys, and specifically Brain Wilson: the psychedelic silliness, the wholesomeness, the harmony. Contemporary affinities are w/ Fleet Foxes and The Flaming Lips, but they achieve something few other groups do: a brand new whiteness. For the length of an entire album, their novelty dwindles, but I have no plans to be insincere. I readily concede, and celebrate, that much of this is gorgeous.

Good movie soundtrack vibes. If I was writing an A24 movie this would be on rotation.

pretty enjoyable. I like there more recent albums and Panda Bears's solo stuff.

Gear: HEDD Audio HEDDphone Two Artwork: 😵‍💫🍃🟪 Production: 🌟🔔🔁 Music: 🌅🌈✨ Rating: 🐵🐸🐯🐧(🐠)/5

Ooh I liked this! I have hears my girls before and I like the beach boys in space vibes im getting

Intriguing, I feel inspired. Maybe not everything on this album, but the other songs are good.

A great and nostalgic album for me. In the Flowers, My Girls, Summertime Clothes, and Brother Sport have all been frequent plays for me at one time or another. Definitely a very noisy album but an enjoyable one. 8/10 (4/5)

Hyvä tunnelma ja ainutlaatuinen äänimaailma! Loppua kohden alkoi kuitenkin vähän tylsistyttämääb

I'd not listened to much Animal Collective before, but I enjoyed this quite a bit, even if it did start to get a little samey. I'll have to give them more of a go.

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holy crap lois

Really liked this. Early 2010s indie was good

I liked this. Not really sure how to describe it and it doesn't really have any staying power in my head, but I would listen to it again.

I listened to this album a lot back when it came out - some solid psychedelic indie!

had only listened to my girl before, rest of the album was honestly better why is that single so popular

Love how weird and trippy it is.

Less energetic and freaky than the Animal Collective albums that came before it, but the many layers of synths still give this a ton of complexity. There are a lot of different sounds, from the watery to the bouncy, that wash over each other and provide a lot of melodies to follow. I'm most immediately drawn to the poppier songs, especially "Summertime Clothes," and sometimes I wish there were more moments like the chorus of "Daily Routine" that really popped. But I also know an entire album of that would get tiring, which makes me appreciate the more hypnotic moments of songs like "Guy's Eyes" and "Brother Sport" more.

I just think it's neat.

One of the best electronic albums on this list so far, because they actual take advantage of the technology to create a huge sound. The songs are so deep and layered that I constantly found myself discovering new sounds in the songs the longer they went on.

I expected so much worst

Cool combo of indie rock, electronic, psychedlic music, The Beach Boys, Pink Floyd, and arena rock, minus the big guitars, and with a hint of poppiness.

Fine chill music! It was enjoyable enough!

I am a huge Animal Collective fan and while this was the album that blew them up outside a more niche act, it also lost some of the weirdness that I love. I often find myself reaching further back when I want to listen to some Animal Collective but I can't lie that since I revested MPP this week, I've been finding myself humming Guys Eyes nonstop.

#118 - Finally something worthwhile! Pretty unique sound, it was a bit weird at first but I definitely enjoyed it. Worth a relisten to pay attention to the layers.