Lisa Fusella: Album of the Year

At the close of every year, thinking of your favourite release is always extremely difficult. 2009 has been a fantastic year for music, seeing great releases from Grizzly Bear, Phoenix & Jamie T, as well as some newcomers (The Antlers, The Big Pink and The xx). However, there was one album that, for me, was inevitable to be number 1.

An explosion of imagination, Merriweather Post Pavilion is stunning from the beginning.  It leads with In The Flowers, a song that will have you feeling like you’re falling in love, being carefree. However, it isn’t until the build up midway that you really understand how intense In The Flowers is, because it all just lets loose from there, making it one of, if not the best, track on the album. Followed by My Girls, the popular track of this release (and probably the least deserving). Although not really bringing anything new to the table, it is still a catchy and rhythmic song that has bought a lot of hype and attention Animal Collective’s way. Summertime Clothes is where Animal Collective really show how versatile and clever they are. This track not only contains the elements to the perfect pop song, but it is executed perfectly. If you are not dancing after this track…well, you are just a sod. Then comes track 6, Bluish, admittedly I did not pay much attention to this song upon first listening. But after a while of slowly appreciating I realised it is so much more than a love song. It takes the very essence and strips it down to the poetic core. Lyrically and musically stunning. Lion In A Coma saw Animal Collective heading back to their Spirit They’ve Gone, Spirit They’ve Vanished tribal days. Which was refreshing and good to see they still draw back on the same inspirations. Closing with Brother Sport, a song that is not fully appreciated until seen live*. Again drawing on their tribal influences, the percussion in this is so infectious it’s impossible not to move.

Animal Collective has always been well known favourites amongst the “indie” crowd. But Merriweather Post Pavilion has branched out their audience and made them one of the biggest bands of 2009. This release was fresh, inventive yet still remained to the old roots of Animal Collective, a deserving album of the year.

*To give you a taste of what it’s like, have a look here:

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~ by thesehereforeignears on December 22, 2009.