Merriweather Post Pavilion

pretentious bullshit...

I liked it, got to see them live and they played some of this so it holds a special place for me.

Great for inspiration, clearly.

Was tempted to give this a 4, its my first time listening to this and I think it could either be one that grows on you or irritates you on repeat listens. Some cool ideas but not an instant "wow".

Rating: 5/10 Incredibly meh album. It is a very creative album, the band definitely has their own unique sound. Very psychedelic, they were under the influence of shrooms/LSD for sure, maybe that's what I have to be on to actually enjoy this album. Despite this, there is not a single memorable melody or chorus on this entire album. Very forgettable album, still was an interesting listen though. Favorite song: My Girls, everything else is very meh.

2/5. Not a fan of this record. Good Riddance

Really good pop album. Reminded me of my earlier years.

Didn’t particular land with me

Not sure about this one

Of course recognized my girls! Loved it 😊. This was a good album. Feeling positive so i’ll give a 4! Nothing bad to say about it.

"My Girls" will forever be a family anthem. This alone gets this weirdAF album a 4 star here. So much melody, and yet almost no traditional musical structure whatsoever. I remember when I first bought the album I listened so often and yet even though I "liked" it, I could never fully click. I'm not sure that was ever the point. Beautiful weirdness that won't work if you (I) compare it to anything else musically - embrace it. 7/10 4 stars.

Plutôt ludique et inventif. Me rappelle parfois les Beach Boys, parfois Devendra Banhart.

I could have sworn I liked Animal Collective back in the day. I was surprised to find this pretty much unlistenable, especially on headphones. It hurts my ears.

I feel like sometimes I have a hard time getting into psychedelia, but I had no problem vibin out to this album. I feel like it had a solid balance in being experimental but still digestable w an upbeat flow to it

Getting weird

Like a lot of art/experimental pop, it just feels like a pop band that didn't make it and just starts being wierd for wierds sake. It's listenable.

Surprisingly loved it, I thought it would be some pretentious hipster garbage but there’s a lot to like about it.

Pop electrónico psicodélico. Ni fu ni fa.

I made it through the first 3 tracks before I gave up. I was surprised when there was almost a hint of an actual song buried in the third track, but it wasn't enough to keep me listening. This poor excuse for music apparently got near-universal acclaim. Once again I find myself at odds with critics. Whatever they see in this, I sure don't get it. Inexplicably to me, Pitchfork and Slant Magazine rated the second track here as the "Best Song of 2009". That's right, the same year Jay-Z released Empire State of Mind, this rubbish was picked over it. Many singles were released in 2009 and somehow this was picked as the best song. To name a few from albums I know fairly well, Pet Shop Boys released 3 singles and Depeche Mode released 4 in 2009. Every single one of those songs is much better than this nonsense. Maybe under the influence of powerful drugs, this actually seemed like a contender. Wikipedia says this album's sound influenced music of the next decade. Maybe that's why I don't like a lot of current music.

I really liked one song. I would like the entire album a whole lot more if you removed the vocals (and therefore lyrics also) on almost every track, leaving just weird ambient noises and programmed loops. I actually liked that part of it. As is it almost sounds like Beach Boys harmonies over Aphex Twin, and I’m not sure that’s a winning combination. They warped and distorted the vocals on the one song I liked, which made it fit a little better with the music. Our Mutual Friend Mike introduced me to Animal Collective circa 2007ish? I say introduced because he told me I had to listen to them, though I’d already read about them on Pitchfork. I ripped copies of Feels and Sung Tongs and had them on my hard drive for a long time, during which I never listened to either in its entirety. The little bit I heard, plus the interviews and reviews, really made me hate them. And I still wanted to hate them. That I enjoyed this even a little goes against my moral fiber. They seemed like the worst type of pretentious, humorless modern hippie hipsters. Ugh. I’d like to take this moment to talk about Pitchfork. This album made me think about the site— I came to odd realization that I’ve been visiting almost daily for over twenty years, even though it’s not what it used to be. Now it’s much more professional and slicker due to its corporate overlords. It has wider appeal and is much more objective in its reviews, no longer ignoring wide swathes of music styles in favor of white boy indie rock. But in a way it has suffered for improving. It’s lost its personality. The funny thing is it was probably already past its heyday when I started reading it in the early 2000s. To me the most important thing I ever got from pitchfork was its original list of best albums of the ‘90s. That’s how I got obsessed with Pavement. More often than not I disagreed with their ratings and found their reviews either snotty or pretentious. Heck, I barely even read most of the reviews. In twenty years of visiting the site I can think of only a handful of articles or reviews that I loved for the writing. (Best of all, an article called Twee as Fuck. Look it up.) What I found most useful was their most divisive and mocked element in the early days— the ten point rating scale. Seeing their ratings and reading the two sentence blurb at the beginning of each review has allowed me to keep my finger on the pulse of modern music. This is not to say I never found music via the site. For every Animal Collective there was an Arcade Fire (who may now be lousy but whose first album was like a jolt of lightning). Back to Animal Collective: Two Stars.

My first time listening to Animal Collective was in college, finding them in a shared iTunes library and thinking the name sounded cool. I didn't appreciate them then and still don't now. Definitely not my genre and I don't find anything about them particularly musical other than some vocal harmonies. They seem to have the same exact sound and structure to every track and I couldn't bear to finish the album.

Another of my all time favourites. Such a euphoric album. The harmonies. The beats. Brian Wilson pushed to his logical conclusion. I love the complexity of the songs though, it took me a while to really fall in love with this, at first I kinda hated it, after really liking (mainly) Feels and Strawberry Jam. But it unwraps itself on repeat listens. My Girls a personal theme of ours, particularly in our small family's early years and our search for a habitable home. No more runnin (says my mind) is a glorious paeon to just stopping and being. Shutting up all the nagging thoughts. Love it.

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

Absolut schrecklich

Uneven

I feel like this is a party I was invited to, but I don't know anyone. It's not BAD, but I don't get it. Pretty cool album cover and the harmonies/sound are really tight, but one of these songs will stick with me.

It definitely makes me feel a certain way so I guess it succeeds at being art. Unfortunately it makes me feel irritated and I do not enjoy it. 1.81 average per track.

Never really gave Animal collective much of a listen before this. This album really ticks a lot of boxes for me in terms of style its experimental nature and psychedelic influences. Really enjoyed it and one I’ll come back to more frequently.

Cool Intéressant, avec son propre monde musical Mais ça me touche pas trop Même si le mix surchargé est un parti prit, un album entier fait un peu blougiboulga, à voir ce que j'en pense dans quelques années

In a nutshell: unmemorable Skip this album and listen to Hot Chip, Art vs Science or Modest Mouse instead. Overall: 1/10

Weird and ethereal, but it's just a little too bizarre for me.

It reminded me of my indie fase, pretty good tunes, but repetitive

Weird music weird lyrics. Not sure if I liked it or not but I do think it was fairly good. Favourite song Brother Sport maybe.

Mukava soitto kun uudelleen ratetaan albumeja tässä näin heh

Couldn’t finish it. It was discordant cacophony that set my teeth on edge. Musical fingernails on a blackboard.

i was excited when i pulled this album up because i recognized the cover and knew it was supposed to be good. i was let down, it was fine but really nothing special at all

It's a pretty hectic album. I liked it but it made me feel funny and I needed to sit down for a while after listening to it.

I was expecting something completely different. I think I had Animal Collective mixed up with another band whose name I can’t remember at the moment, and that other band I don’t care for at all. This was super interesting. I feel like I need to listen several more times to really appreciate it. 4 stars.

Mezcla de pop y electrónica con ritmos variados. Pasable, sin más. Escuchable sin excesivos virtusismos.

"rockzinho alternativo" bem xaropinho, difícil de escutar até o fim

My partner had this album on his list a couple of months ago. He described it as "torture". I think this is where our neuros diverge, because listening to this album was like a spa day for my ears and brain. Love it!

Cover goes pretty hard

Just don’t get it. Cannot figure out which direction this album wish to take. Getting on my nerves

Really good album, not a bad song in it. I especially like In The Flower and My Girls.

Meh, not for me

I feel like I should like Animal Collective, but I really don't. Not sure why. I like M83. I like Beach House. I find listening to this album to be tedious.

This album has the feel of a good witch perptually winding up to cast a happy spell of magic. I think the sound is a bit repetitive, with vocals causing this at times. But the endearing, visceral lyric style is enough to hold our interest as we envy the composer's perspective and experience.

3.5/5

A band that I've always wanted to listen to, but never got around to it. Now I know why I waited so long. Almost all the songs sound like they start and end before anything happens. I would say the middle, but the middle usually has a chorus. I don't think that really existed in any of the songs? The band has potential...maybe, it's the album that was chosen for me. I might try another album, but it would have to be when there's nothing left to listen too.

Not fun to listen to

Still mesmerized by the album cover.

Introduction: Animal Collective's 2009 album, "Merriweather Post Pavilion," stands as a seminal work in the realm of experimental and electronic music. Known for their boundary-pushing soundscapes and innovative approaches to songwriting, this album solidified their status as pioneers of the genre. In this detailed review and analysis, we will explore the lyrical content, musical elements, and the broader context of this album's impact on contemporary music. Track-by-Track Analysis: "In the Flowers" The album begins with a cascade of layered vocals and intricate electronic textures. Lyrically, it explores themes of growth, transformation, and self-discovery. The use of ethereal harmonies and reverberating percussion sets the tone for the album's dreamlike journey. "My Girls" "My Girls" is a standout track that blends elements of electronic and folk music. The lyrics reflect a longing for stability and security, a sentiment many can relate to. The pulsating rhythm and hypnotic vocal loops create a sense of euphoria that's impossible to resist. "Also Frightened" This track delves into the complexities of human emotions and the fear of the unknown. The intricate layering of vocal harmonies and evolving electronic textures mirrors the theme of uncertainty and personal exploration. "Summertime Clothes" With its infectious melodies and vivid lyrics, "Summertime Clothes" captures the essence of summer and youthful joy. The song's playful rhythm and use of samples contribute to its danceable nature, making it a fan favorite. "Daily Routine" "Daily Routine" is an introspective exploration of the mundane aspects of life. The repetitive, almost ritualistic percussion and the mantra-like vocals mirror the monotony of daily existence while simultaneously evoking a sense of transcendence. "Bluish" Here, Animal Collective delves into themes of love and vulnerability. The lyrics, delivered with heartfelt sincerity, are complemented by shimmering synths and a soft, pulsating beat. It's a moment of tenderness in the midst of the album's experimental landscape. "Guys Eyes" This track introduces a more stripped-down sound, focusing on acoustic guitar and percussion. Lyrically, it explores the complexities of human relationships and the search for connection. The simplicity of the instrumentation highlights the emotional depth of the lyrics. "Taste" "Taste" is a psychedelic journey that touches on themes of desire and longing. The intricate layering of sound, including choral vocals and electronic glitches, creates a surreal and hypnotic atmosphere. "Lion in a Coma" Here, Animal Collective embraces a more tribal and percussive sound. The lyrics allude to the struggle for self-identity and personal evolution. The repetitive rhythm and chanting vocals give the impression of a spiritual ritual. "No More Runnin" "No More Runnin" reflects on the passage of time and the inevitability of change. The gentle acoustic guitar and soft vocal harmonies convey a sense of nostalgia and resignation. "Brother Sport" The album concludes with "Brother Sport," an anthemic track that celebrates unity and brotherhood. The tribal percussion and uplifting lyrics provide a fitting climax to the album's journey of self-discovery and growth. Musical Elements: "Merriweather Post Pavilion" is a sonic masterpiece that blends elements of folk, electronic, and psychedelic music. Animal Collective's use of vocal harmonies is a defining feature, with the layered vocals creating a lush and ethereal soundscape. The album's electronic textures, ranging from intricate glitches to warm synths, add depth and complexity to the music. The percussion, often tribal and rhythmic, serves as the heartbeat of the album, driving the songs forward with infectious energy. The use of samples and loops adds an experimental edge, making each track a unique sonic adventure. Lyrical Content: The lyrics on this album are poetic and introspective, exploring themes of self-discovery, love, longing, and the human experience. While often abstract and open to interpretation, they resonate on a deeply emotional level. Animal Collective's lyrical approach is both personal and universal, allowing listeners to connect with the themes on a visceral level. Impact and Legacy: "Merriweather Post Pavilion" had a profound impact on the world of experimental and electronic music. It pushed boundaries and inspired countless artists to explore new sonic territories. Its influence can be heard in the work of many contemporary musicians, and it remains a landmark album in the genre. In conclusion, "Merriweather Post Pavilion" by Animal Collective is a sonic journey through the complexities of the human experience. Its intricate musical arrangements and introspective lyrics make it a timeless and essential album for anyone interested in innovative and emotionally resonant music. This album stands as a testament to Animal Collective's artistic vision and their ability to push the boundaries of what music can be.

My girls and brother sport are some of the best songs on the album. Overall was a decent listen.

Psychedelic, dreamy and trippy. Might've liked it more on acid.

They set some dreamy mood and in turns into some mess. Just not my kind of music.

At first I thought it was interesting and then I wanted it to stop

Not too impressed, it is a bit too messy especially at the end.

I like the mood it sets and it has some very cool parts. All in all it's just a tad too long.

Unremarkable background fine

This is like 2000s indie but with less music and more noise. However they still put some good songs in the mix. My Girls is one that surprised me, a bunch of noise layered together sounds good. The repetition in every song gets old after a while.

I enjoyed listening to this today, but it wasn't able to grab much of my attention (repetitive electronica tends to seep out of my consciousness if I try to do anything else, like drive or make dinner). But maybe this sort of music is supposed to seep into our subconscious, so on that metric, it succeeded splendidly and pleasantly.

This was something new, and different...or was it...because it sounded like the same thing over and over... I liked it, but maybe that is because "i'm on vacation" and it is a chemically-induced experience. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge....

Reminds me a bit of Bitte Orca by Dirty Projectors that we heard very early on in this project. It's got elements of pop and elements of electronica but goes in unexpected directions. I had it mostly in the background today, which was fine. Not much really caught my attention. I liked it but don't see it becoming a favorite. I laughed hard at the title Guys Eyes, which I assume is a reference to my favorite line from Rosemary's Baby.

Lush Beach Boys harmonies and wild electronic experiments? I’M IN! This was fantastic fun! So interesting and engaging. Brother Sport was the perfect finale!

One of my all time favorites

Psy rock. Rien de tres intéressant 4.5/10

It's enjoyable in it's 'Beach Boys but avant garde' l'âne, but with the exception of the magnificent Brother Sport, it never truly goes beyond the sum of its clever parts.

I feel like I'd enjoy this album if I was tripping or *super* stoned, so I'll round up from 2.5.

I'm just not into this

I was actually getting irritated by this.

Interesting. Overall enjoyable.

bit samey, but there's much worse

This album was decent. There were aspects of it that really reminded me of major bands eg early Pink Floyd, Queen, The Beatles, but it was all mashed together to create something new. I think it’s cool artistically, but I liked it - didn’t love it.

Easy listening Very short but enjoyable

Kind of makes me think of the natural conclusion of where Pet Sounds was driving. Also reminds me of the white boy "world music" of Paul Simon. It's an interesting listen, but I think it's probably best experienced not sober. Favorite tracks: "Daily Routine", "Lion In a Coma"

excellent, some amazing songs in "also frightened", "summertime clothes", and "bluish", but it's overall really good

I've tried to get into this album many times, but its still a bit of a head scratcher. I think My Girls is a fantastic song, and there are a few other great ones, but for the most part it doesn't really move me.

It's apparent that the Animal Collective songwriting philosophy is: have a basic idea and beat it into the ground. It's not entirely without virtue but every. single. song. is intensely repetitive. At first, it was fine but it quickly became maddening.

I liked a lot of this but also hit quite a few patches of headache-inducing wierdo noise.

This was tolerable but I got pretty tired of it by the end.

3,5.

Indie weirdness abounds.

There’s a dreamlike quality to the music on display here. It’s not a dream I enjoy but nonetheless there it is. The digitized noise of this sometimes lets loose some stunning vocal harmonies that get over shadowed by the production.

Sometimes interesting, but this just isn't my aesthetic.

Maximalism är svårt. Detta album är, på alla punkter, för mycket. För ambitiöst, för många instrument, för högljutt, för spretigt. Blir sensory overload och syntax error, saknar shrooms. Skulle kunna blivit ett fint album med vissa justeringar och avskalningar. Som sagt, ambition finns, men med sådan här wall of soundig experimentell pop är knivseggen man balanserar på smal. Animal Collective faller tyvärr ned på fel sida.

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

Skemmtilegt indie pop!

Has a familiar 2000's indie alt rock thing to it. 3.5

All seemed to blend into one. I like the music in snippets but nothing really grabbed me. Willing to give them a go again

Great album, Guys Eyes & Taste were my favs.

spacende muziek

‘My girls’ is een geweldig nummer. Misschien niet het meest toegankelijke pop-album, maar het is in z’n soort een psychedelische topper

Two weird ones in a row. Giving this a 2, because I wanted to give the other less than 3.

Irritating

I don’t get this one.

Meh

The more time that passes between now and that what was once Animal Collective, the more convinced I become that this is drug music. Not that you have to take drugs or that you should to appreciate this, but that the music is like…“hey drugs!” Is this the kind of semi-surreal stuff that flows through the average tripping brain? Anyway, the music is pretty catchy and experimental overall, and though it’s a bit disjointed in spots, overall it holds together.

Already listened to

Never heard of Animal Collective before. This music is classed as "experimental pop". These guys should experiment with shutting the fuck up. These idiots must love recording in caves. The reverb on the music is fucking crazy. It muddles everything together, and renders it all just noisy garbage. They also have reverb turned way up on the vocals, which makes you feel like you're in a crowded store with hundreds of people talking at the same time: It's hard to isolate one conversation. In the same way, I can't understand what he's saying. What a fucking awful album. I was going to say that this is the worst album to date, but Robert Wyatt takes that cake. This is a close second though. I'd take that screaming German band (Einsturzende Neubauten) over this horseshit any day. This was just noise for the purposes of making noise. No musical talent found. Just three asshats who can push buttons on computers and synths. Fuck this album, and whoever thought this should grace a list like this should have their head examined. Artsy, hipster shit. No redeeming qualities. Really dumb album cover. I'm not on enough psychadelics for this album. Favourite song: Summertime Clothes? It's all utter garbage, but that may be the most tolerable? To be honest it all ran together into one big dumpster fire. Least favourite songs: this whole piece of shit album. 1/5

I can see what the band was aiming at with this album, it’s just that what they ended up with sounds too much like noise to me.

i love

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

Experimental indie music. Ambitious but didn’t really connect with me emotionally

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

Shimnery, noisy, indie pop. Not a bad listen at all.

This is some interesting experimental pop. The best part is the hypnotic loops; they’re really great stuff and they grab your attention. The lyrics and singing are not nearly as good, though. They’re enjoyable, but don’t work well enough to make this a masterpiece. Anyway, 4. Also, since Panda Bear featured on Doin’ It Right, this album is Daft Punk Approved TM.

I want to like them, because I feel like it would make me a more sophisticated music lover. But I didn’t enjoy anything but My Girls. Too dissonant and busy for me

starts with really trippy psychedelic music to India era Beatles back to even trippier psychedelic

Niet slecht, maar absoluut geen wow-gevoel

1.5

It was indie music and it was bad. Skip it.

I like some Animal Collective but this album was a bit too abrasive and repetitive for my tastes.

I feel like this was too weird for me, but I'm still not sure. I "think" I might "enjoy" this "more" if I "had" a little "help". (All the quotes mean drugs)

Not my cup of tea at all, but I can understand its placement as a landmark of indie music of the time. Just wish it did more for me.

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.

Not really my thing

Never really liked or took an interest in this sort of indie music growing up. It always seemed to be for kids who did things to tell people they'd done it rather than for the sake of doing it. I stand by the younger me and continue to think this sort of electro-indie, where the tracks build towards an underwhelming climax is shallow music. Not a track on this stood out *and* I went back to their most played songs from this album on Spotify to double check I was listening properly.

Some truly unique sounds in this. Deserves a decent score

Experimental af. Deserving of at least a 4

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

I remembered this album being better... But has a few certified bits.

A classic.

Meh. Felt like an album about nothing, just kinda sounds and random instruments.

Ok, but I couldn't get into it. Maybe another time.

I'm not sure how I missed this album. 2009 was right around when I started to get into indie music in a big way, and this album was huge during that time. But it was probably a decade later before I was properly introduced to this album. And I quite liked it. The songwriting is unconventional, the instrumentation is glitchy and strange, but it all comes together into a hooky collection of tracks that sink into you even deeper with repeat listens. Although I missed it on release, it still very much sounds like the late 2000's to me -- a nostalgia for something that I didn't experience.

Boring

So bad. Extasy fever dream noise.

Chaps, not every song needs to be 5 minutes..... the start of a song shouldn't sound like the middle and the end..... its boring and this is what this album is

Periaatteessa ihan mielenkiintoinen kokonaisuus mutta kappaleet meni vähän liian sekamössöksi ja taiteelliseksi jolloin niihin ei tullut kunnon tarttumapintaa

Beatles. Bjork. Battlestar Galactica.

I’ve listened to this so many times and like it but don’t really get why ppl call it a masterpiece. it’s good but not that good

I got bored with this to be honest. cool cover art but it just went on a bit for my liking and didn't really go any where and no stand out tunes.

I always kinda neglected this one for it’s cover and I think I might’ve heard 1 or 2 songs and nothing more. That was stupid, this record is nothing short of amazing. It opens strong and just doesn’t let go. Very powerful! 8,5 out of 10

I have struggled for over a decade to appreciate this group and this album in particular. For me, it's really hard to enjoy given the lack of a rhythm or flow. It's very ethereal, and there's not set anchor rhythmically in any of the songs that draw me in. After my fourth listen, I just seem to be unable to appreciate this work for what others see in it.

Love it

No

They have too much fun. Sounds like Tame Impala sometimes. I don't think I would listen to them often

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.

2.3/5

The production is too sparse. I prefer my electronica more dense and claustrophobic like Massive Attack.

Pretty cool psych/experimental rock with some electronic and pop influences.

An interesting album with a couple of fun and quirky parts. I can see how it may have been influential in shaping early 2010's electro pop. That said, it's also frequently weird in an unpleasant way and my appreciation while listening was mixed.

This album came out when I was in college and everyone was obsessed with it. I thought it was mid then and I think it's mid now.

This super reminds me of Passion Pit, super layered, eclectic mix of sounds. The vocals kind of put me off though, seems like the kind of thing you have to be super in the mood for.

Didn't hate it but most songs just fell flat for me.

It's ethereal, psychedelic and weird so that's worth something. This could definitely be setbreak music at shows.

I'd like to hear this again... Standouts: None Others: My Girls, Summertime Clothes Rating: 3/5

Cacaphony

My girls / summertime clothes absolutely dominate this album. the rest is pretty meh so it get a 3

Never able to feel a groove on this one. Nothing catchy; treble laden. Still trying to discern why this album made the list.

Something about this intro song is so familiar and yet I can't place it. I think it kinda reminds me of Passion Pit? That's the only similarity I can draw for another experimental pop artist. This honestly really helped me wind down, I wouldn't say it's tiring in any way but it helped me get ready for bed.

It was I testing. Very chill. Nothing really stood out for me.

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

Probably more of a 3.5, but I rounded up because this sound reminds me so much of my time at university.

Another 3.5 rounded up

The album cover made me nauseous and the songs were very meh.

This albums is so bad, it’s so annoying and just bad instrumentation. I really don’t see why people like this.

Ahm .... Well... No. WTF? I'm neither high nor drunk enough to appreciate this. Another of these questionable entries into the list. I like the album cover that seems to move, though. 1.5/5

I have never listened to them before. Such a sweet feeling of nostalgia.

Im tired right now so it’s hard to write this. But this album is pretty, well, psychedelic. No guitars and lots of weird synths. I like the vocal melodies too. Things can drag on, but it’s not a huge deal.

There's a lot going on in Merriweather Post Pavilion but I don't think it's particularly cohesive or enjoyable. It's trippy without taking you on a trip, weird without purpose, really just a dull 2.

I want to like this more than I do. It sounds kinda like psychedelia meets the Beach Boys. Maybe a little bit too trippy for me, maybe a bit too much going on, but not as good as I'd hoped it would be? My Girls is very familiar, but wouldn't have known it was by them before listening to this. Clearly paved the way for some music that I like more though, so it can get a 3/5. 

Okay I guess, but this is the kind of album that you listen to and immediately forget about afterwards.

3,5 te herbeluisteren Of toch 4?

AnCo is one of my favorite artists of the last 20 years and as such, MPP is one of my favorite albums of that span too. I prefer a few other AnCo albums (Sung Tongs, Feels, Strawberry Jam), but this album remains incredible.

Ok

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

I didn't get this when it came out and I still don't. It's not bad, it's just...not something I would ever choose. Best track: Taste

I guess the authors want me to end my time on this mortal coil. 2/5.

Favourite song: Brother Sport

When the kick comes in on my girls.... Everything else is like meh. Hyper-eager 2010s festival indietronica sounds like a midjourney-generated piece of art in 2023. Psychedelic sure, but for what ends.

I feel like my ears have been assaulted.

It was alright, decent.

This is definitely up my alley. It reminds me of a watered-down version of Django Django combined with The Beach Boys. Seeing as those are two of my favourite bands, I was very excited during the first song. But then the second song sounded like the first song. And the third song sounded like the second song. And the fourth song sounded like the third song. And so on and so forth. I really like it...but it's too repetitive. I'm going to listen to this a few more times to see if the tracks become more discrete over time because I can see myself really loving this.

There‘s no escape from these jungle-tight soundscapes, no break from the horns’ of Jericho permanent blast! Sometimes a bit annoying but truely an album that you should listen to for once in your life - at least for educational reasons. „Summer Clothes“ is an unbelieveable feelgood hit! 3.2

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.

There certainly is creativity here, it just fails to reach me

This was a pretty easy listen. Other than the ethereal aspects of the production, there really isn't anything that stuck out enough for me to want to listen to again.

I was really surprised by this album. First listen to the first couple of songs had me NOT loving it. The next day I came back and ended up listening to My Girls a couple times in a row. Since then, I've realized this album really rips! I think a couple songs tend to overstay their welcome, but save from that I was a huge fan.

Better than I was expecting cool sounds I don’t like the indie singing

All for recycling but maybe they should have picked a better base layer. One going forward the other in reverse. Nevertheless there is plenty going on.

Very unique with some bangers (My Girls, Summertime Clothes, Brother Sport), but ultimately not accessible enough for all to earn a 5 star rating.

an old favorite

Pretty ugly vocals …

Dus Katie Melua is zwanger las ik ergens laatst

Dit album heb ik vaak geluisterd, maar ik weet nog dat het me ook veel tijd kostte om 't leren waarderen. Hetzelfde gevoel heb ik nu, sommige nummers blijf ik wel echt heel tof vinden, maar over het geheel toch een te moeilijk plaatje.

Vage shit. Te vaag.

My Girls vind ik een geweldig nummer. De rest van dit album had ik nog nooit beluisterd, en is wat aan de vage kant, maar niet onaardig.

Man! Die langgerekte lettergrepen de hele tijd. Pas op het laatst kwam er een beetje vaart in!

Horrible

There is something very chaotic about this album that I like very much

Pretty good album. Psychedelic pop.

Good

An album that manages to combine danceable melodies with esoteric vocals successfully is rare indeed. If only the vocals weren’t buried so deep in the mix on some songs.

Dit vind ik nou nog eens oprecht vermoeiende kutmuziek. Ongeinspireerd gewauwel over chaotische trippy beats. Misschien leuk voor mensen die zichzelf bere-interessant vinden omdat ze via LSD, paddestoelen en ayahuasca ceremonies 'bepaalde inzichten' hebben gekregen. Ik heb geen septum piercing of tunnels in m'n oren, dus 1 ster.

So not for me.

I think I overplayed this when it first came out as its been a good 10 year or so since I last heard it. Thankfully I still enjoyed it as much as I used to. Perfect psychedelic pop which is just weird and experimental enough to keep it interesting without ever becoming boring for me (although from memory I remember people we’re definitely split on that!)

Wasn't sure about it to begin with but it grew on me towards the end, sounded like Battles with more synths and less drums.

Really couldn't get into it. I don't understand why it is in this list.

The nicest thing that I could say about this album is randomly discovering the album art was an optical illusion. Unfortunately I thought all the songs were shite.

I didn't like this. Had hints of indie pop type stuff that I normally do like but it was all too busy. Too much going on. At the risk of sounding like my mum, it was all just noise

Já... jújú, þetta er ekki leiðinlegt, oft áhugavert, en eftir tvær hlustanir held ég að ég láti þetta gott heita.

Primavera Sound 2008, Animal Collective take to the stage late (about 00:30) on a balmy 20 degree Barcelona night. I'm up at the front, the reverb is hitting me physically, passing through my chest in waves. The light show starts up and about 50 people around me come up on their Es simultaneously. Never in my life have I wanted to be on drugs more.

Just a bit ‘meh’ really. Enjoyed the album artwork more than the sounds. Think they feel like they’re being clever, but it’s just coming across as generic and blends into the background. Maybe at the time it wasn’t, but today it’s feels like a first draft of something that could go somewhere much more interesting.

Like a fruit machine - lots of noise and lights, lots put into it, don't get much out

This was just noise to me

Really enjoyed this on the whole. Loses its way a bit towards the end, but closes with a banger

One of these albums that I need to listen to a few times. I did have the time today so ended up liking it.

My co-judge and I had similar first impressions in that we both felt the LP was influenced by Pet Sounds-era Beach Boys. Some of the sampled soundscapes are very innovative and the sort of think I generally like, but when you drop the vocal harmonies on top of them they don't seem to integrate too well. The harmonies and melodies of some songs, like Summertime Clothes, are catchy, but they don't go with the music.

I love the album cover, its an optical illusion appears to be animated and moving, but its actually not. I also love 2000's Indie music and if your Fleet Foxes or Panda Bear fan you would probably like this, but the vocal harmonies here and the dreamy psychedelic sound is not my jam. The vocals by other Indie bands of this era such as Grizzly Bear (no relation to Panda Bear) or say Dirty Projectors are much more enjoyable.

I kept turning the volume down. It doesn't immediately sound bad but it builds up. Summertime Clothes is a bit gentler, maybe even a bit infectious. I like the vocals on most tracks. Sometimes. But the constant echoing does annoy me. Interesting, but I'm not going to try it again.

Really enjoyed the jammy vocal layering. Prefer this to the way Chet faker does it.

Starts off brilliantly but tails off

better than i remember

Hmm, þetta er eitthvað flipp.

Hipster jamz. I liked this album a lot when I first heard it, now not so much.

This album is described as a challenging listen - I get that. I need to listen to this a couple more times to see exactly how positively I feel towards it. I'm between a 3 - 4 right now, but I'm going to go conservative on this review.

Some great moments but not sustained over a whole album.

Well this is OK. Enjoyed listening to it, but despite the fact it tries to be experimental and outlandish, remains pretty tame without all that much to push the envelope

Lus and unique soundscape with influences of Pavement to Pink Floyd in there.

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.

Yea it's fine, not bad at all

When this record first came out, everyone was glowing over it. I liked it okay, but it makes you work too hard for the quality of it. It's different. But just to be different.

I guess I can see why people like this, but it didn't do anything much for me. Meh.

This album is so ethereal feeling. Almost like it’s one continuous song. I barely notice the actual words being said, but surprisingly that isn’t a negative for this record. It just adds to the feeling of being under a spell for the nearly hour long run time. A spell I would gladly be put under again and again.

Didn’t like any of them besides lion in a coma. Psychedelic pop is not it

UGH jam band stuff.

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.

I had never listened to this band before, but after reading the description of the album, I was very excited. However, it did not live up to the hype, and felt that it just went on and on.

I wouldn't listen to this all the time, but it was decent background music and it seems like they had something to say here. Definitely not a 4 or 5 because I didn't immediately want to listen to more of their stuff, but also not a 2 for me because I enjoyed getting through it. I wouldn't consider you to be a philistine if you felt otherwise.

Drivel.

Peak 2000s indie was not my thing.

This was a hard one to digest for me. Creativity and uniqueness is a major attribute of bands I love, and these guys definitely have that. What I'm kind of meh about is the music outside of those creative elements. It feels canned, whiny, tame. I know nothing about the bands background but it seems to me this is what you get when you have semi-talented musicians, whose rich parents bought them all the toys to facilitate the musical creativity.

Not really into it, might give it a second try

3.75

Sehr crazy

Pretty fun. Better this listen than the last. Would listen again.

My Girls was a smash hit that got them noticed by the mainstream, but nothing else comes close to it. It's all very hyperactive, Brian Wilson on speed rather than acid. Definitely worth another listen, I think a lot more of the songs need time seeing as there are so many melodies and sounds to break down.

Nah man, not for me. It had nothing I could relate to or vibe with. It’s just a bunch of meh white noise pop. Made no impact. Cool magic eye kinda album cover though.

Mwah, niet mijn ding, beetje te vaag.

Instant classic. Perfect album art.

The band you'd name drop to try and impress that hipster at that house party in the hope of getting in their pants. This is the album when the band stopped being quite so up their own arses and actually began including some tunes and choruses in their songs. Still fairly odd with constant electronic burbling and reverb drenched vocals, but not annoyingly so. Best Tracks: My Girls; Summertime Clothes; Taste

Always been a band and album I felt like I should connect more with, given genre, but never been my favourite. Feels like you need to be in a certain state of mind to just abolutely vibe with it.

4.5/5 (Excellent). I love this album still. It's hard to make music that's this weird but you can still dance to. I'm not totally sure of the album's theme, but there are strong parenthood / young childhood vibes. It makes me nostalgic for the time I spend with my kids. I never noticed how trippy the album cover was because I bought this on iTunes on an iPod and can't see the movement on a tiny screen. Favorite tracks: * brother sport (totally forgot about this track!! so good) * my girls * in the flowers (is a strong opener) * also frightened * daily routine

Mehhhhhhhh

Trippy album cover, awesomely weird music. 4/5

Nostalgia!

Too normy. Give me starwberry jam!!!

A couple of okay tracks, but all in all a pretty rough listen.

So dreamy, I really liked it

Interesting psychedelic rock. Lots of vocal harmonies, very melodic

Meh. Bit too much going on...

Keep it real, give a real shout-out

Was not a fan. It was not to my taste musically or lyrically.

Bluish good track. Was ok

generally not my style but I listened to the entire album. There were a few that was interesting

This had a bit of Beatles about it in parts. Better with headphones that in the car for sure.

An easy listen by the beach. Good vibes.

Animal Collective...a band that I typically feel I should like more than I do. Long time indie media darlings, MPP was the first album that I even remotely liked, but still felt it was much too over rated. Unfortunately this was also the last MPP album I have really enjoyed. 4/5

overrated, nothing special

2.4⭐

Nice dense, complex sounds with some pop attitude in the vocals. I like it, I don't love it.

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.

This is an album I've always wanted to like more than I do. It's mostly down to the vocal style, but I can't deny that this is quite a masterpiece of 2000s indie-electronica. Had roommates who were into Animal Collective and I was just not cool enough to get into it. I will say it's kind of cute for the lyrics to reflect his life, he's a dad, a husband, but still wants to make bangers and still be himself. I can respect that.

No me gusta esta psicodelia

Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Summertime clothes, Lion in a coma, No more runnin’, Brother sport

i was expecting something a lot more organised than this. bit of a mess really.

Have you ever spat cum onto the floor of a Travel Lodge? I'm going to bite your genitals off. About as arousing as a cot death.

🐵🦍🐶🦄🐯🦓🐷🐃🦙🐏🐀🐿🦔🐰🐓🦘🐧🐸🐊🦚🐙🦋🐍

I have never been able to make my mind up on this album. I still can't make my mind up on this album. You should probably listen to it yourself and make your own mind up on this album. Or don't make your mind up on this album. Whatever.

Very good, like the Beach Boys if they lived in Arizona.

Is the difference between country and rock the metaphors employed? I mean, "my forehead is leaking"? It's a decent album. Listenable. But I'm not convinced that I want to listen to it again.

Wow. This seems like a group lost in a different era. What would it sound like if the Beach Boys took some psychedelics and joined a drum circle in the Octopus' Garden? Interesting, but not very enjoyable.

I think I liked this more after finding out a bit about it, but put me in mind of a jumble sale Tomorrow Never Knows for a whole album.

I found it a bit whiney

Better than most post-rock, which I find is a bit too prog-like, clever clogs for me. This was released with much hype in 2009 (a bi of a low-point in 'alternative" music, IMHO). Lots of publications had this as their album of the year, which surprises me. Has this aged as a classic, where people sing along to the songs when heard? I think not. But this is more enjoyable than I had expected. Unlike much post-rock, which tends to be dour and tuneless (thanks for that, all you angst filled middle class white boys), this album trades in joy and Beach Boys-like tunes. Not great tunes, but pleasant enough. I think the drowned in sounds review (http://drownedinsound.com/releases/13913/reviews/4136043) captures it best when stating that this reflects their live sound at the time. This is electronic-based music designed to be played at summer festivals, and get the audience dancing along. I like the analogue feel of the recording. By that, I mean the way that the samples (which make up most of the tracks)_ have been degraded into a warm, fuzzy wash of eccentric loops and weird rhythms. I'm sure this album was blast live, and is Ok on record. better than I was expecting, and I pleasantly enjoyed listening to it 3 or 4 times through, although no songs really stuck in my mind. (I think the fact that Pitchfork listed My Girls as their #1 song of the year tells you much about 1- the standard of what was released that year, and 2- the pretensions of Pitchfork).

The hardest part of being a music lover is admitting that not all music is “for” you and everyone isn’t “speaking to you” or even speaking your language. This is one of those cases. I have no idea what what’s happening here or what’s being said, but I get the craft and effort going into it. I’d love to meet a fan of this band and find out what I’m missing.

Open up your open up your open up your

Mellow

At its best, it's so good. That euphoric explosion halfway through In The Flowers, followed by My Girls, is such a strong start. The sugar rush of Brother Sport and the breezy Summertime Clothes are other highlights. But I feel with Animal Collective there are sometimes too many ideas, too much experimentation or just too many sounds that it impedes the songs. The production on some of these tracks turns into a thick noisy sludge at times - maybe I need to invest in some significantly more expensive earphones to unpack it all? 3.5, but the album cover is fascinating me in a big way so I'll round up.

Super forgettable album. I literally could not recall any of it the next day. I guess that is a sold 3 star didn't love or hate it.

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

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

Gross. But mainly overly unpleasant.

Meh. Rates better than the Blues Explosion at least!

Totally into it, at least through the first half. By the third half of the album I was ready to be done. (Accidentally rolled straight into the first half of the following album. Oops.)

I need to give it another listen. I definitely dug it and was close to giving it four stars.

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

Love this album. Love the Beach Boys and shoegaze influences. Favourite tracks are My Girls and Bluish. 4.5

Some nice dreamy pop. Reminds me of beach house, there seem to be a few bands doing a similar thing

I don’t like the sound of this album that much, although it does have a distinctive one. The singers voices were also not that great. Musically, there were great ideas but I was not a big fan of it as a whole

I have a hard time wrapping my head around Animal Collective, I listen to one of their earlier albums a couple of years back and that was aggrivating to me. This isn't so bad, but I just don't get the hype. Just rather annoying sounds that don't strike something meaningful or cool with me.

At least the album cover is fun...

Interesting stuff, a few catchy bits here and there but not overall something I'll come back to.

I have no clue what I've just listened to.

Ça c'est des kiffeurs.

je me suis endormie mais c’était bien

I can absolutely imagine this being incredible at a concert or anywhere surrounded by hundreds of people on similar drugs. Listening to this alone on my bike? Torture.

Despite it's online acclaim over the years, I haven't gotten around to listening to this until now. Very fun, tripy songs here to come back to. Favourites: "My Girls", "Summertime Clothes", "Brother Sport"