Animal Collective: Merriweather Post Pavilion

Label: Domino

When Merriweather Post Pavilion arrived, we sold out of the vinyl pressing in about a day, and had to hear “Do you have…?” for weeks. As if we needed any hint that this record would be huge. Merriweather picked right up where Strawberry Jam left off, continuing Animal Collective’s newfound penchant for mixing pop with international-flavored psych-folk. The production is crisp and the lyrics easier to decipher (though they are as cryptic as ever), but this is very much an Animal Collective record. Made as a trio (though absent fourth member Deakin would return to the fold before the end of the year), the group has pretty much left the singalong-campfire quality of earlier records and embraced electronics and heavier percussion, but the music is as buoyant as ever and the melodies have never been stronger. The wondrous interplay between Panda Bear and Avey Tare holds the album together, from the handclaps and thundering bass lines of “My Girls” to the Latin-flavored “My Brother Sport”—it’s an exhilarating ride. We’re not going to proclaim this Animal Collective’s finest hour, given the extraordinarily high quality of the band’s near-decade output, but this is certainly a sterling addition to their great oeuvre. (James)