Josh Hurst reviews Merriweather Post Pavilion

Josh Hurst reviews Animal Collective’s “Merriweather Post Pavilion”:

These songs are, bizarrely, rather sentimental, their warmth often seeming at odds with the cold production– which either makes the album that much more bewitching or perplexing, depending on who you are. [Animal Collective] sings about getting lost in the curls of an anonymous beauty, about casting off material things in favor of simple family life, about heartfelt, fraternal comfort. The lyrics, as much as the pulsing rhythms of the more pop-oriented songs, provide this record with its beating heart, and make it one that’s ultimately rewarding despite sometimes being frustrating.