Animal Collective’s Merriweather Post Pavillion
by 
|Past reviews of the Baltimore four-piece Animal Collective have oscillated between jaw-dropping flattery and tight-lipped bemusement. So far, though, no one has knocked their sheer originality and ambition, and for good reason. One of the most distinctive bands of the last decade has managed to marry wild, almost psychotic and nonsensical, vocals and rhythms, cramming them into a tight and undeniably alluring package. Some songs hit the spot, others soar way out into leftfield: but all boundary-breaking bands suffer the same schizophrenic temperaments from time to time. Perhaps their most accessible album to date has just been released, and it’s already been pipped to land at the top-end of Best of 2009 lists. Whilst holding tight to the psychedelic torch they carried through their past work, Merriweather Post Pavillion borrows from that sun-splattered tropical sound being polished in Scandinavia. It’s also calmer and more measured than both Feels and Strawberry Jam, but still instantly recognisable in their unique, avant-garde style.
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Tagged: Baltimore, psychedelic rock
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Fresh from having his iconic image of Barack Obama splashed across the cover of Time Magazine’s Person Of The Year issue, Shepard Fairey — also the creator of the ubiquitous Andre The Giant sticker — has been confirmed as a guest editor of an issue of the free weekly Lost At E Minor publication, to go out in mid-January, in which he will write exclusively for us about his favorite artists right now and talk about the artwork that has excited him most in 2008. It’s going to be a very interesting read, an insight into the inspirations behind the street art of this seminal LA artist, and you can sign up to receive it for free simply by subscribing to our free weekly email publication.
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