The sound is dead, It’s singing time

animal collective/grouper @ sound academy – may 16, 2009

i wasn’t planning on going to see animal collective last night, but a couple of friends of mine offered me an extra ticket of theirs last-minute, and i decided to go against my better judgement. it’s been well documented that i’m not the biggest fan of animal collective’s more recent work, but i thought the concert would be a good opportunity to see how the songs from merriweather post pavillion held-up live, and a chance to expose myself to a side of the band i had never seen.

grouper opened, and while i like her music, i don’t think she was well suited as an opening act. she has the psych-folk element to her music that makes her a logical connection to the headliners, but last night’s audience was made up of people wearing keffiyehs soaked in LSD who had no interest in droney psychedelic music with no beat to it. also, the abysmal sound at the sound academy made grouper’s set a little more unbearable than it would’ve been otherwise— a fact made clear by the large hissing noise emanating from the PA system that was audibly distinct from the effects grouper was employing on stage. those factors didn’t help anyone who actually tried to enjoy grouper’s set, as anyone disinterested with her performance carried on as if nothing was happening. medium sized venues like the sound academy just don’t have the same kind of intimacy required for an act like grouper. i could see a band like high places having a better chance in that kind of setting.

animal collective took the stage shortly after grouper, and started things off with “chocolate girl,” a song that i was unfamiliar with, but one that helped set the mood for the evening quite well with its throbbing bass and avey tare’s often explosive vocals. i had heard that animal collective were playing some of panda bear’s songs on tour, but i was nevertheless surprised when “comfy in nautica” was played next. that moment was probably a personal favourite, and it was well received by others as well, but nothing could compare to the utter frenzy that took place when people heard the opening bars to “my girls.” overall their set was pretty diverse and not too MPP-heavy. it also stayed at a pretty constant pace, with minimal amounts of psychedelic noodling. frankly, they could’ve jammed away all they liked if they had simply ditched the “trippy” visuals that bombarded the audience at every opportunity. while i certainly enjoy the visual component of concerts, the 4:20/dorm room wall poster styled kaleidoscopic lightshow hurt their cause more than it helped. it felt like they were catering to the drug aesthetic more than necessary. yes, i know you’re a psychedelic band, you don’t need to show me.

it was unusual being at a concert for a band i really didn’t care for, but i enjoyed myself more than i thought i would. i also found it interesting to witness the different groupings of “stans” varying from the utterly devout, the plaid indie rocker, to fans who only cheered for the MPP songs (not sure where i fit in there). on a related note: this experience didn’t shed new light on the MPP material, however, it did make me more curious to mine more of animal collective’s older records.

Filed under: Concert Review , 2009, animal collective, avey tare, grouper, merriweather post pavillion, panda bear, sound academy, toronto

Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavillion

“omgz, the best record of 2009!!” really?

is this what “indie rock” is going to be sounding like? is this the creative peak of “new weird america?” i’m already worn out with this whole chamber pop/incessant-brian-wilson aping that’s been going on for the past two-three years, i’m not sure if i can really hold out for much longer. sure, animal collective have helped to pioneer this shift in style more than anyone else (this is their ninth album, after all), but they should also help to bring it to new places. in a world of grizzly bears, abe vigodas, deerhunters, and panda bears there’s a great pressure on AC to deliver the goods, and when certain animal collective members are making much more engaging music on their own, how can this record really measure up? for what it’s worth, AC do try to change things up a bit, particularly by crafting colourful, pulsating numbers that draw you into their surrealistic world, and by taking it easy with the meandering psychedelia. here they’ve learned to temper their psychedelic tendencies with really earthy, tribal beats, which i feel are significantly responsible for the massive amount of attention they’ve received for this album. it’s danceable, and people are always drawn to that. i’m concerned though, that people like this record only because it’s safe and familiar, not because they’re actually going to be listening to it more than a month from now, since there’s nothing here that we haven’t seen before. merriweather post pavillion is by no means a terrible album, but it isn’t very impressive either. i may grow to like it more once i can look back on it, but even then i think i’ll fail to see what all the hype is about.

Filed under: Album Review , 2009, animal collective, merriweather post pavillion