Animal Collective

"In the Flowers" begins life as a lazy bank of fog. It then explodes into an atomic radiance equal parts noise, electronica and rumbling bass. From this, believe it or not, drips a child's melody, as well as these innocent, virtuous voices. They're chirping words like "love," "smile" and "dancing." This tune -- perfect pop, truly -- embodies beauty and terror. And it's Animal Collective's ability to believe in both extremes that makes Merriweather Post Pavilion such a profound chunk of indie rock.

Like the Grateful Dead before them, the psychedelic heads of Animal Collective are
evolving from raging sonic hallucinations into gentler, more melodic trips. The ninth disc
from this Brooklyn/Baltimore crew tries balancing shameless beauty with ecstatic
weirdness, and when they nail it, it's breathtaking. "Summertime Clothes" is a swirling
pastoral with dance-music thrust, while "Guys Eyes" is a cauldron of the Pet Soun... More >