Animal Collective surprise double feature! - Strawberry Jam and Merriweather Post Pavilion

In a gesture of kindness and convenience I've decided to do a double entry of both Strawberry Jam and Merriweather Post Pavilion. After listening to the former I found that I didn't have much to say that I did not already say in my review of Feels last week. Thus, I'll just touch down on a few points and move on Merriweather Post Pavilion, with which I have more to comment on.

Essentially, Strawberry Jam is a second helping of what can be found on Feels. Of course, whether this is a good thing or not depends largely on what you thought of the previous album. If you enjoyed Feels, definitely check this out, because Animal Collective's quirkiness returns in all its glory. If you were put off by the strange sound and unpredictable nature of the songs, this is probably not for you. However, I will say that Strawberry Jam has a slight lean towards more "traditional" (read- "controlled") structure. In other words the weirdness has been toned down, if only slightly, so fence-sitters may want to look into this album if Feels was just a tad too out there for them. As a parting note, I will say that I genuinely enjoy the track Fireworks and view it as the strongest song on the album.

Sounds Like: Battles

-Track Listing-
1. Peacebone

2. Unsolved Mysteries

3. Chores

4. For Reverend Green

5. Fireworks

6. #1

7. Winter Wonder Land

8. Cuckoo Cuckoo

9. Derek

Best- Fireworks, Peacebone, #1

Worst- Cuckoo Cuckoo

Links:

Fireworks music video, fireworks look pretty cool in reverse. Otherwise this is a bit lame.

First of all, this album gets bonus points for its optical-illusion cover art.

This is by far the most accessible of the three albums by Animal Collective that I have listened to. Where as the previous two entries can easily be described as "weird", this album finds a better fit with terms like "surreal" and "ambient". The song structure has become more reserved, with much less in the "unexpected outburst" department. Luckily, I find that this shift in presentation does not taint the core of what makes Animal Collective worth listening to. The unique flavor of the band still shines through.

Merriweather Post Pavilion also differs from its predecessors by way of having a more cohesive as a complete album. There are many cases of the end of one song bleeding into the beginning of the next, making start-to-finish listening of the album more enjoyable.

In summary, if you want to check out Animal Collective but aren't sure you can handle the odd style, start here. If you can handle this, then move to the other, more eccentric albums. If this is as weird as you'll go, there's still plenty to love here. And if this is just too odd for you, well... lighten up!

Sounds like: Battles

-Track Listing-

1. In The Flowers
2. My Girls
3. Also Frightened
4. Summertime Clothes
5. Daily Routine
6. Bluish
7. Guys Eyes
8. Taste
9. Lion In A Coma
10. No More Runnin
11. Brother Sport

Best- My Girls, Also Frightened, Summertime Clothes, Bluish, Brother Sport

Worst- Taste

Links:

My Girls video, Very trippy and odd, but business as usual for Animal Collective.