(Domino/EMI)

Welcome to Music 2009

Animal Collective have become an increasingly ubiquitous feature of the indie canon. Their sound is a musical kaleidoscope that innovatively incorporates noise, folk, pop and electronica; their eighth full-length Merriweather Post Pavilion is the apex of their progress.

Avey Tare’s distinct tones both clash with and highlight Panda Bear’s ethereal swoons and it’s their superb chemistry that provides this record’s inherent quality. Listen to Taste, in which they each sing their own melody and yet the song works perfectly. The explosion of drums and synths in opener In The Flowers is grand but obvious; less so is the way the syncopated beat seamlessly returns to regular time. The Panda Bear-oriented tracks give the album both symmetry and a backbone. Daily Routine launches forth with a puncturing arpeggio, drawing on Panda Bear’s dub tendencies from his solo work. Guys Eyes is simply rapturous, a beautifully meticulous weave of intercrossing vocal threads. My Girls and Brothersport are epic and multifaceted, incorporating everything from afropop to dance music. Each song is full of density and colour, addictive melodies and towering harmonies. It’s the very best kind of sonic assault.

Avey Tare’s tracks aren’t without their own brilliance. Summertime Clothes marches along joyously against crushing bass and a militant rhythm. The giddy video game kick of Lion In A Coma bounces off a Jews harp sample. Bluish is just melting. Each track is encompassed and linked by a seamless aural environment of sounds, ambivalently natural or digital. Somehow, the production successfully balances all of these elements on a needlepoint.

Often albums released early in the year tend to be lost and forgotten amidst the myriad releases of later months. In the case Merriweather Post Pavilion however, that seems unlikely. This is a clarion, an exceptional example of what contemporary music should be.

*****

MICHAEL PINCOTT

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