In the new issue’s End of Year round up, Clash Magazine has announced it’s Album of the Year as Animal Collective’s ‘Merriweather Post Pavillion’.
The latest issue of Clash Magazine hits the shops today, handing out accolades in an extensive Best of 2009 spread. Writing in the new issue, Christopher Monk outlines ‘Merriweather Post Pavillion’ achievements:
“‘Merriweather Post Pavilion’ completes Animal Collective’s journey from the short-lived ‘freak folk’ scene (best heard on 2004’s ‘Sung Tongs’ album) to their current position in the vanguard of contemporary alternative music. Along the way they’ve grown more and more adept at writing fully-fledged songs: 2005’s ‘Feels’ featured an expanded breadth of instrumentation alongside a smidgen of screaming; its 2007 follow-up ‘Strawberry Jam’ added a measure of tunefulness without sacrificing the screaming. ‘Merriweather Post Pavilion’ is more approachable still: it boasts choruses (the one on ‘Summertime Clothes’ being the pick of the bunch) and, in ‘My Girls’, one of the greatest, most repeat-playable tracks of the decade; screaming is conspicuous by its absence. That’s not to say that any of ‘Merriweather’’s eleven songs is likely to be played on a piano in a wine bar any time soon – something like ‘Daily Routine’ is as oblique as anything from their back catalogue. But it’s the kind of album that can be recommended to friends without any hesitant provisos.”
Read the full, extensive feature on the album, including an interview with the band’s Noah Lennox, HERE and stay tuned to ClashMusic.com as we reveal the rest of our favourite albums from 2009 across the week.
