NPR's All Songs Considered is streaming the Animal Collective's new album, Merriweather Post Pavillion. Critics are losing their shit over it, and it has a 91 on Metacritic, which is impressive since so many places have reviewed it. There are two reasons why critics are so jazzed about this album:
1. It's different. It doesn't sound like anything else out there. It is basically the Beach Boys if they were an African band doing Chicago house and/or Pink Floyd. It's trippy, there is a lot of repetition, there are some dancey elements, some jammy elements, and a whole lot of harmonizing. It's accessible but new, kind of like Radiohead. For jaded critics sick of reviewing records that all sound the same, Animal Collective are a breath of fresh air, someone finally doing something unique and interesting. For the unsophisticated masses, it's a chance to feel arty and smart.
2. It's pretty damn good. I was willing to give it a pass until I heard "My Girls," which truly is the Beach Boys as an African band doing Chicago house, and now I have to go to Amoeba when it opens today to buy the album. Plus, the cover is hella trippy.
My Girls - Animal Collective
They also did a video for "Girls" which is pretty cool. Here.
By the way, one of the bands that the Animal Collective said they were influence by was the African Brothers Dance Band (International). I couldn't find anything about them online, including a legal way to hear or buy their music, but I did find a site that has a download of it. Here.
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