animal collective

In recording their new album, Merriweather Post Pavilion-named for the Baltimore amphitheater that David Portner (Avey Tare), Noah Lennox (Panda Bear) and Brian Weitz (Geologist) frequented in their youth-Animal Collective pays homage to the place where they grew up listening to good music.

The title also reflects their hope that the album will represent the same quality outdoor experience that the famed music venue provided to the band members. To say that Animal Collective achieves this goal would be an understatement.

There's no other way around it: Animal Collective's past albums have been, well, weird. With recent releases Feels and Strawberry Jam, AC have been making their eerie music, populated by mind-boggling loops, more accessible. On MPP, we see a semblance of the experimentation that earned them so much respect in the past, but in a new form, one which anybody can enjoy. "Brothersport" and "Summertime Clothes" see AC vocalists Avey Tare and Panda Bear doing what they do best, but better: absolutely breathtaking harmonies.

"My Girls" picks up where "#1" on Strawberry Jam left off, discussing the joys of caring for those you love: "I don't mean / to seem like I care about material things / like my social status / I just want / four walls and adobe slabs for my girls."

The only difference this time around is that the unnatural voice effects from "#1" provided by Geologist's brilliant engineering have been replaced by beautiful harmonies, a magical synth loop and a building drumbeat. This isn't to say that the song is necessarily better, but it does make for a more pop sound.

Sure, Animal Collective may intend for Merriweather Post Pavilion to be blasting in a giant outdoor scene, but listeners in any setting will still hear the sounds of summer.