A while back, someone told me to buy their album Merriweather Post Pavilion because, and I quote, "you like The Flaming Lips, Spiritualized and all that weird shit".
So, today I bought it.
I played it, and it is weird. It's kind of relentless, too. It kind of shouts at you.
I am not sure if I like it but I'll have to listen again.
It sounds like it would probably sound a lot better on drugs, lots of drugs, the kind that make you go all staring, bulgy eyed and wibbling.
Does anyone else know this band and this album?
What do you think?
I am not usually this undecided about music, this is new for me.
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18 comments:
I don't have Merriweather Post Pavilion, because I hated Strawberry Jam. I can concur with your opinion of MPP just on my similar experience of SJ.
Sorry, Blimpy!
I liked it a lot, especially My Girls, Summertime Clothes, IN The Flowers and Bluish. The break in My Girls is gorgeous.
Not at all Rich! Strawberry Jam wasn't all it could have been.
There are some amazing pop songs on MPP, that make themselves known after a few listens, they come up to breath through the many confusing at first listen layers.
Summertime Clothes has been getting many repeats on my summer playlist
I concur with the tracks EJD named..
strawb jam did my head in (and not in a good way.. it needed to be more something.. haven't gone back to it enough to work out what)
Vinyl and headphones is were its at with pavilion (and flashbacks to confuse the cortex - might help or hinder- who knows? you don't want to be inside my head)
Blimpy do you have the dam fun remix of summertime clothes that was sent out and about - today/yesterday sometime!
But don't ask me.. I've just spent 2 hours playing the ukulele- i learnt 3 notes- if I could play them quick enough it would sound like Noah and the whale! I'm so proud.. apart from love cats on bass, I've never played a note of music in my life!
Agreed with ejaydee, My Girls is the standout track and the one I've played a lot, whilst not having gone back to the rest of the album since the first few listens. That has probably more to do with me listening so so much new music recently, rather than the quality of the album itself.
The keyboard line in My Girls keeps reminding me of the intro to Frankie Knuckles' Your Love (as sampled on The Source feat. Candi Staton, You Got The Love), but that's probably because I left an important part of myself staring, bulgy-eyed and wibbling on a dancefloor in 1988. i haven't tried replicating the effect with the Animal Collective album, but I can imagine it working, Carole ;-)
Flavour of the month, but not consistent enough to deserve all the hype. Deerhunter, on the other hand, are way overdue some attention on the strength of their live shows alone.
Every time I've seen them live, I've walked out after a couple of numbers but I was seduced into buying Merriweather Post Pavilion by all the reviews (and because I'd liked Person Pitch). Verdict so far? The Fleet Foxes it's OK for music snobs to like.
Tends to fit in with the "no one makes proper albums any more, and even if they did people doesn't listen to records in that way now" discussion we had a few months back; a couple of decent tracks and a lot of stuff that simply slides out of the memory after you've heard it. But then this isn't really my sort of thing in the first place.
I didn't mind Strawberry Jam, it revealed some brilliant hooks underneath all the yelping and For Reverend Green was a capital Tune.
As for Merriweather, My Girls and the opening track are really lovely, different to almost anything else around, but then I sadly can't comment any further as I seem to have lost my copy a month or so ago and haven't had any real desire to go back to it. Which might be indicative of something.
The earlier albums Sung Tongs and Feels are worth checking out, too, in a more Person Pitch-y sort of a way.
Shane, I'm learning the uke too - this is getting spooky!
DarceysSis has just signed up for the flute, and I'll be joining her on that.
Verdict so far? The Fleet Foxes it's OK for music snobs to like.
I suspect you are right Mnemonic, I am going to listen to it again today.
BTW, I really don't care for Fleet Foxes at all. If i want to listen to wonky harmony singing and West Coasty hippy influences, I'll go for the Dead, CSN&Y and the Airplane every time.
@TFD I'm gonna have to learn how to spell UKULELE too!
The ukulele flute band might get a release in the distant future.
@DsD did big sis ever read 'Dimity Dumpty' a lovely little picture book, about humpty's little sister...
ms.sane plays flute - it's lovely.
Is the ukelele the new guitar in the credit crunch?
Could be a comeback for the cymbal soon.
Where can you get wibbling drugs? Did like Person Pitch a lot & the idea of AC. There must be something in the water in Baltimore.
Hi Carole. Do you like anything else that is based around sound-generation machines? The tracks I've just dipped into all sound like the starting point was the device that creates the electronic sound underpinning the vocals. I (and you too, I suspect) prefer something more related to human activity. The results are interesting but fairly uninvolving. The highly-rehearsed vocals don't help either.
Having said that, I am finding the odd rhythmic pulse and manipulated voices of Also Frightened rather attractive...
Shoey: you say 'There must be something in the water in Baltimore.' Not seen The Wire then?
Blimpy: I saw your birth year in the EOTW blog. My son is your age. Jeez!
Do you like anything else that is based around sound-generation machines?
No, I think you've hit the nail on the head there Chris.
It does sound contrived. There are too many layers. Like I said, I bought it because I was told they were like The Flaming Lips, who I love.
Mercury Rev and My Bloody Valentine were also mentioned, but I can't detect either of those bands in Animal Collective.
At the moment, I remain unimpressed by them and yes, you are 100% right, I want humanity in the music.
To be honest, I get more humanity from Tangerine Dream than I have so far from Animal Collective.
I'll try the album a couple more times, but I suspect it'll be disposed of at a carboot sale in the future.
I was going to mention MBV's 'Loveless'. I love that, despite it being largely mushy noise. But it's obviously made by humans....
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