Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavilion

Animal Collective’s latest album Merriweather Post Pavilion is just one of those album that should include a hit of ecstasy so that listeners can enjoy it. Without drugs, a listener will probably emerge from the experience half deaf and confused for the rest of their lives.  There is no structure associated with the songs themselves or the album as a whole. It seems as if Animal Collective has found themselves stuck in a middle ground which is just plain unexciting and repetitive.

Most of these songs will be heard once and then never thought of again. It’s almost like they gave up on trying to be creative and clever and ended up with lyrics such as “There we could be dancing And you'd smile and say, 'I like this song'". Come on, that’s like a cheap shout out to yourself.  Though the melodies repeat themselves from song to song with small alterations, they become mundane when listening to the entire album. It’s almost like this album depended on the quirky and catchy melodies to move it forward and completely lacked on the lyrics side.

The first song on the album “In the Flowers” starts off with some abstract noise that catches your attention and then a melody that reminds me of a Pink Floyd song (just not done as well) penetrates and repeats throughout the song.  “My Girls” is definitely a catchy party song but when listening to the lyrics, they are equally as awful as the others.  The third song “Also Frightened” is a creepy song (maybe that’s what they were going for?) starting off with a sort of dripping water noise while drone like voices whine at you. Makes for an uncomfortable time and I cant imagine playing this for anyone not even as background noise. In the middle of this album, if you make it that far, emerges potential, titled “Daily Routine”. The song starts off slow and then quickens in pace, sucking you in, making you feel like you are on some weird off beat carnival ride. And then the title does it justice. Now it’s like the ride is stuck and you are just going around and around and around with no say. It gets redundant and annoying not even halfway through the song. The album goes on for a few songs with nothing special to mention until “Guys Eyes” which picks up-tempo and beat, causing an immediate interest. The lyrics are pretty much unimportant since you cant decipher because of all the layers of sounds on top of one another but its creates a change in pace which is over due in this album. “Lion in a Coma” is probably one of the weirdest intros to a song I have every heard. It reminds me of Australia or a kangaroo bouncing on his tail or something bizarre like that. Lastly are the only two songs really worth mentioning on this album and they are “No More Runnin” and “Brothersport”. Both songs are way different compared to everything else on this album. They are faster paced, catchy, lyrically clever, and intriguing from beginning to end. “No More Runnin” makes you feel like you are trapped (possibly drunk or drugged) and just kind of spinning around mumbling (all in a good way of course). “Brothersport” starts right out the gate with a constant pace and beat that makes it easy to relate and dance too. The lyrics are funny, clever, and catchy which makes for a great ending song on an album.

Overall Animal Collective did not deliver with this album as much as hyped and hoped for. It was a disappointment. This album is just a few specks of gold under pounds of dirt; not even worth digging for. 

Bloc Party "Intimacy"

Bloc Party’s album, “Intimacy” was release in 2008 and is just that, intimate. The subject matter flutters around personal relationships and is loosely based on the front mans break up of 2007. This is an album complied of songs that were obviously written and composed with compassion and great detail. More prevalent in “Intimacy” than any of the other albums from the band is the electronical and orchestral elements, such as violins, cellos, and basses. These elements combined create a feeling of melancholy and intimacy for those who emerse themselves in it. With this album the band strived to break away from the traditional rock pop band cliché.

The first song on the album “Ares” opens with an eerie yearning sound then breaks into what seems like a predictable Bloc Party song. One great thing about this song is that it ends with a melody that is similar to the beginning of the next song “Mercury”. The songs flow smoothly into each other and “Mercury” introduces the electronical and orchestral elements mentioned before. “Halo” and “Trojan Horse” introduce the new Bloc Party with the comfort of the old Bloc Party with songs like “Banquet” and “Blue Light”. The two best songs of the album are “Signs” and “Better Than Heaven”, they represent the entire emotional spectrum experience through this album. Anxiety, intimacy, frustration, and longing are the emotions most relevant. With lyrics from “Signs” such as “the last time we slept together, something just was not there” and “I can sleep forever these days, cause in my dreams I see you again” just pierce the heart with pain and the violins don’t help. “Better Than Heaven” has more of an upbeat rhythm but such dreary lyrics done in a wonderful almost techno’y style. It almost masks the meaning of the lyrics, which is fine if you are trying to forget about everything and just dance. But its good to know that Bloc Party is deeper than that, and it definitely shows through out this album. “Letter To My Son” is a song full of frustration and angst which just puts the cherry on the cake of this album.

Overall Bloc Party was successful in what they set out to do, and that was basically to reinvent themselves as artists. “Intimacy” is an album full of emotions, experiments, and chaos and is perfect to indulge in.