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<< Previous   of   Next >> (click to enlarge) "Merriweather Post Pavilion" by Animal Collective   ADVERTISEMENT   Related Stories • PBR with a chaser of art 1/12/09   CONTACT THE HERALD Melanie Munk, Features Editor munk@heraldnet.com   Published: Monday, January 12, 2009 Liner notes: "Merriweather Post Pavilion" By Andy Rathbun Herald Columnist "Merriweather Post Pavilion" Animal Collective WHY CARE? Animal Collective dreamed up its ninth studio album as a batch of songs meant to be played outside, then gave it the same name as an outdoor concert venue designed by Frank Gehry. TRIVIA: The cover of the album is an optical illusion that, at a glance, appears to ripple. STANDOUTS: "Bluish" floats along like the Zombies on an acid bender. The song has dizzying harmonic verses, a falsetto chorus and a steady haze of synthesizers. FANS DIG: Happenings, man ANDY SAYS: Animal Collective's music has the trappings of cult genius: Deftly layered synthesizers and guitar, abstract lyrics about a lion in a coma, psychedelic arrangements. I'm not in this particular cult, though. The group loops sounds to the point of irritation. Some songs rise out of the sonic muck, but too often, the album sounds distracted by itself. GRADE: C-plus Andy Rathbun arathbun@heraldnet.com 425-339-3455 READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

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