New Animal Collective Album January

NYC-Based Freak Folk Band's Eighth LP Merriweather Post Pavilion

Nov 4, 2008

In October, Animal Collective revealed album art and a track list for their new album, Merriweather Post Pavilion. Here are some predictions on what it will sound like.

The freak folk band Animal Collective—which currently consists of vocalist/guitarist Avey Tare, vocalist/percussionist Panda Bear, and electronic guru Geologist—formerly known for their bizarre, often indecipherable albums, has been getting tamer over the years.

Their albums have been getting more accessible, especially their most recent LP, 2007's Strawberry Jam. Due to a combination of fine-tuning their sound and making their music weird yet understandable, Animal Collective has both matured and trademarked their sound.

Yet as they continue to make new music, the band's sound is ever-changing. The band's 2008 EP Water Curses again shifted their sound slightly, and they recently announced a new album in the works. Merriweather Post Pavilion—their eighth studio album since 2000—promises to be another shift from convention for Animal Collective, and the album has many surprises in store.

Earlier this year, Animal Collective's new direction was rather uncertain. Deakin, the band's backup guitarist/vocalist left the band after Strawberry Jam, and Panda Bear had released an incredibly successful solo record, Person Pitch. When playing live, they began playing older songs more frequently and would often completely change their older material to suit their new feel. They also introduced new songs live, such as “Bearhug” and “House”.

Then, at the beginning of October, the band updated their website with a new video which featured both the track listing and the album art for the upcoming studio album, Merriweather Post Pavilion. The album includes many of the tracks they played live—“Bearhug” is now “Summertime Clothes” and “House” is now “My Girls”—and it also features particularly psychedelic artwork. Based on what the band has released, it seems that they have not completely abandoned their Experimental/Freak Folk roots.

Based on what the band has played live and what they have said about the album, Merriweather Post Pavilion will probably continue to explore the veins opened by their most recent EP. Water Curses is a much slower and more concentrated record than Strawberry Jam, and it is also softer. While Avey Tare's signature yelps and screams come through occasionally, they are few and far between on both the EP and the upcoming LP. Their sound is still eclectic and bizarre, with light arpeggiating everywhere, but it is much less frantic.

In addition, the album is much more synthesized than acoustic, which can be seen in the Water Curses EP, whose title track sounds like electronic calliope music with fluctuating time signatures. It is oddly flowing, but combined with Avey Tare's vocalization and the group's bizarre approach to music still remains enticing.

However, this is all based on past live performances, and the studio version will be significantly different. Panda Bear stated in an interview that he thought Merriweather Post Pavilion to be their best-recorded album yet. Whether this means sound quality or overall cohesiveness is still open ended, but all doubts will be assuaged once the new Animal Collective album is released.

The copyright of the article New Animal Collective Album January in Indie Rock Music is owned by James Blake. Permission to republish New Animal Collective Album January in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.