Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion (2009)

I like how Mark Richardson appears to have become Emeritus Professor of all things animal collective at Pitchfork.

i didnt think it was a bad review, but i dont think it would kill them to give an AC review to someone other than the biggest fanboy on earth

They kinda remind me of Ned's reviews of his favourite bands on allmusic.

MPP review: This album, which finds Animal Collective completely owning their unique sound, feels like the crucial next step in that conversation.

SJ review: Here, more than on any record yet, they own that sound completely.

not to be a dick, just noticed this. i haven't heard MPP yet but does it sound like SJ? i thought maybe it didn't.

no

i'm getting the vinyl tomorrow, and im hoping ill like this more than i already do. the good parts are just so great; i want the rest to make it worth it

blaming it on poor qual rip

I might have said this upthread but I was horribly disappointed with SJ when it came out and further discouraged by the glowing reviews it got places that encouraged so many of the (I felt) shitty qualities that pissed me off about it. The one review I really got behind was the one in The Wire where the guy said something like 'At least they've never made the same record twice, right?' which has been basically the principal with which I've been anticipating this one, so whatever about this perfect culmination of their sound bit, Animal Collective do sound like they have way more ideas than any of their Pitchfork pals/indie contemporaries but their career so far has been about drifting in and out of focus even as they move on all the time. I mean, sure there are certain hallmarks of their sound, but their records have had a wildly varying sound to these ears.

Back in the heady days of the rick roll a number of comments were made about the Balearic-ey sound they'd gone with, I'm really confused if this was just part of the rick roll joke or if it was based on what had leaked at that stage, but seriously I thought that would basically give this record a free pass. There are a few things I would have liked, the knob on the vocals to have been turned down a little, maybe, more submersion in the overall song structures, in some songs the vocals sound like they blair out too much. But overall, this is a really good album, I know ILM feels the need to get challopsy about all this white boy indie, like ALL THE TIME. But srsly get over it. This record though, is a pretty good testament to the AC's need for a really good producer, Strawberry Jam might have been more interesting to me if it wasn't so sonically hideous, but it was. Maybe the reason I like this is because of the warm live-sounding synths. God, did I really not sleep tonight/this morning?

Man, I don't know what I'm talking about.

Talking about AC is becoming exciting as the Federal Reserve president's speech about the new monetary policies

the smug dismissive assholes are pretty funny though

ts: talking about ac vs talking about talking about ac

let me just tell you where I'm at with this.

I haven't liked an indie record this much in a couple of years, or any record as much as this in a few months. Hence I haven't read many threads about indie records.

What taints this joyous occasion (about a 0.1% taint, enough to make me stop what I was doing and write this post with two feet on the table) is reading the tedious back and forth that surrounds indie records. honestly it's at times (not all the time) like reading football supporters argue about who's going to win the league on BBC Sports blogs. Albeit with better spelling.

about a 0.1% taint

a taintlet

taintey t. taintgarten

if you take the 0.4 pitchfork gave the black rebel motorcycle club today, and add that to the 9.6 they gave mpp yesterday, you get a perfect 10. maybe they should trade players for the 2010 album season

not that anyone here reads pitchfork

I still don't know how much I like this record yet. It seems to be pushing more towards liking early 10cc though.

i still say disco inferno

di is not a bad reference point; slightly different vocal approach and world outlook though, eh?

musical similarities is all i'm saying. hazy washes of song. but di don't really yelp and such, for sure

Hey I like this album. It seems like something you could listen to while grilling out in the summertime.

Only if your backyard was Tron.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/primrosehill/messofaschlong.jpg

Just received a (second) email from ^Taylor Saporito in re: my most recent blog.

Here it is in full, so that you, too, can marvel along with me that it is possible for one boy to be so completely lacking in self-awareness:

Congratulations. You have successfully embarrassed me and proved your dominance on the internet.

A bit of a back story on the string of e-mails you got. The link was posted on the collected animals board, somebody found your e-mail address, and asked the board to spam you. Immature, yes. Probably not necessary. In a course of like 30 seconds I decided to contribute one to the cause.

Apologies for any offense I caused you by my e-mail, and for not finding your rick roll hilarious. If it wasn't the first time I'd seen a rick roll I may have laughed a little bit. I remember, it was sort of funny the first time.

I understand why you would do some things... filter comments on your blog... leave the link up when it's obvious the majority of the people who see it don't think it's funny... all of those are little things you can do to ensure that you have enough material for a substantial blog post. And in all honesty, I find the post just about as necessary as you find my amazon lists.

I'm not sending you this e-mail in an effort to stop you from blogging or discussing this matter on the internet. If you must get your fulfillment there, fine... god knows we all have to have something. However, I find the fact that you used my real name both on your blog and in forum discussion unnecessary.

I'm sorry to hear that people called your personal number in response to this. That took a stupid internet argument to a personal level it shouldn't go to. But I didn't take your joke personally, I just thought it wasn't funny. Bringing my name into it is completely unnecessary, and I ask that you remove it in all places that you can.

NECESSARY
NECESSARY
NECESSARY

Most smug apology ever.

My reponse:

However, I find the fact that you used my real name both on your blog and in forum discussion unnecessary.

Well, I view the fact that you used sexist, violent, and abusive language in an email to a stranger in preeeetty much the same light, so maybe you can suck it up. ;)

Roxy have heart, he's had a mess of a schlong ever since he got caught in that disastrous rick roll crash. People on strong pain meds sometimes can't help using sexist, violent and abusive language.

They kinda remind me of Ned's reviews of his favourite bands on allmusic.

Hooray oh wait.

d.i. go pop>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>MPP

lolll @ taylor saporito

loooooool @ taylor saporito taylor saporito taylor saporito taylor saporito

let's get TAYLOR SAPORITO a 77 invite

Amazon Lists by Taylor Saporito

Qualifications: music obsessed, hip teen with a lot of time on his hands

taylor saporito's band?

ya that's him

another one

you can really hear the jack johnson influences in that first link

http://a547.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/107/m_d18c96226ecaf53c573ad2b714b233da.jpg
choke on my mess of a schlong!!

That shot makes him look like the excommunicated member of Sunn0))) who smiled too much.

I've seldom encountered a band with more delusional, idiotic fans.

Fine. If you think it's justified, then fine. If you have nothing better to do with your time than flaunt our e-mails on message boards, you obviously don't have a lot else going on. So go on and have your fun.

And for the record, I believe there is a big difference between the general, mindless shit-talking shit on the internet and making it personal. But I don't think I'll be able to make a convincing argument to somebody who obviously spends too much time living and conversing on the internet. It's obviously consuming a large amount of your life judging by how many posts you have in that thread alone. There's a good chance this pretty much is your life. I can't really expect you to be able to differentiate.

Sleep tight. Even if all you have is your online dignity and your post count. Sleep tight. Tomorrow, the day after that, the day after that. It's always going to be just the internet.

HEY TAYLOR, SLEEP TIGHT
EVEN IF ALL YOU HAVE IS YOUR BOWTIE REVIEWS AND PAGE-LONG EMAILS TO ME
SLEEP TIGHT

"And for the record, I believe there is a big difference between the general, mindless shit-talking shit on the internet and making it personal" vs. "you low-life cock-gobbling bitch"

his life obviously consumed by making such glorious music

Choke on my mess of RONG

ahaha, i bet that band starts their sets with "choke on this mess of a song"

tell him he's the real lowlife because "cock-gobbling" should be hyphenated.

I totally missed all this when it went on, I only just saw Roxy's blog posts, so many lols.

The thing about threads like this is they hint at some sort of overwhelming stultifying critical consensus surrounding bands that no one in the UK gives a shit about. See also people getting pissy about Yankee Hotel Foxtrot back in the day.

I'm just disappointed this didn't turn into a thread about Michael Chornomaz

its never too late