It’s common knowledge that when one tries to describe a song by Animal Collective the words “”tribal”” and “”trippy”” inevitably occur, and the band’s newest album, Merriweather Post Pavilion, provides no exceptions to this rule. Of course, other adjectives still apply ð- “”ebullient,”” “”psychedelic”” and “”drug-induced”” are all likely mentions – but it seems the innovative boys of Animal Collective are not going to make any attempt to escape their inherent tribal trippiness any time soon.

Merriweather Post Pavilion, the band’s seventh studio album, is 11 tracks of quintessential Animal Collective, and there’s really not too much to say about it beyond that. Similar to their most recent studio effort, Strawberry Jam, each track is equally entrancing in its own neo-psychedelic right, with few singles leaping out amongst the bulk. The opening track, “”In the Flowers,”” is certainly one of the album’s few stand-outs, beginning with subdued acoustic plucking before leaping unexpectedly into a boisterous, celebratory refrain that is just too goddamned happy to ignore. The final track on the album, “”Brother Sport,”” is another notable single – an infectious, tropical ditty that may very well be on the Ewok party mix after the fall of the

Imperial Army.

Despite the strong intro and conclusion, the bulk of the album is fairly forgettable, but never unpleasant. The freak folk genre charges on strong in an album that is unmistakably more freaky than folksy, and if you’re already a fan of Animal Collective there’s really no excuse not to snag it.

Rating: 3.5/5