Newton’s Universal Law of Gravitation can be applied to many things, including an exclusive fraternity of bands during the dawn of the 21st century.
In the world of music BI (before internet), bands able to hit it big generally had the luxury of some time before dealing with backlash. But in the perpetually accelerating culture of today, the arc from fledgling new act to that elusive wave of success to critical drubbings can occur shockingly fast.
In 2008, Brooklyn band TV on the Radio, longtime critical darlings able to sell out mid-sized theaters hit critical mass with the release of their third album, Dear Science. So much so that media outlets that had previously all but ignored them were scrambling to place Dear Science at the top of their year-end polls. It wasn’t long before the hipster grumblings began: what makes these guys so special anyway?
It was much faster for Fleet Foxes. After releasing two critically lauded EPs, the Seattle band’s self-titled full-length 2008 debut hit the scene under a wave of goodwill and positive buzz rarely afforded any new band. Their self-described “baroque harmonic pop jams” elicited rave reviews from indie bloggers and media giants alike. By the time they were jockeying with TV on the Radio for album of the year honors on charts around the country, they too were assaulted with increased criticisms. One prominent music blog’s headline announcing the band’s appearance on NBC’s Saturday Night Live: “SNL to make falling asleep before ‘Weekend Update’ easier than ever.”
That should pale in comparison to the year Animal Collective will have in 2009. The band has existed happily under the radar since the early 2000s, releasing albums like Spirit They're Gone, Spirit They've Vanished and Danse Manatee under the guise of band member pseudonyms Avey Tare (born David Portner) and Panda Bear (Noah Lennox). The band also includes members Deakin (Josh Dibb, currently on something of a hiatus from the band) and Geologist (Brian Wentz).
But as their experimental, amorphous jams began attracting more and more fans, the band has simultaneously flirted with increasingly accessible music. While maintaining their willfully psychedelic approach, albums like 2005 release Feels and 2007 album Strawberry Jam found the band’s underground status soaring, yet still well away from the growing indie hype machine (no pun intended, web surfers). Shows veered from fan favorites like “Grass” and “Peacebone” to freeform, meandering drones, setting off the inevitable Grateful Dead comparisons.
The overwhelming fanaticism that surrounded the first whispers regarding Merriweather Post Pavilion, the latest Animal Collective long-player (officially released on January 20) was far beyond what anyone expected. When the MPP song “Brother Sport” leaked onto the internet, the “Web Sherrif” (a site devoted to “protecting your rights on the internet”) sprung into action, resulting in a huge public dust-up with the band Grizzly Bear, who’d posted the tune to their blog.
To placate their diehard fans, Animal Collective released the album two weeks earlier than the officially release date—but on vinyl only. The resulting sales frenzy had the album threatening to hit the Billboard charts on the vinyl sales alone (Domino Recording Company spokesperson Peter Berard told MTV that MPP sold almost as many vinyl copies in one day as Strawberry Jam has moved to date on vinyl).
The album is a sprawling collection of childlike romanticism, full of dreamy declarations like “If I could just leave my body for the night” and memories of “Summertime Clothes” over heavily echoed, ambiguous melodies akin to the Beach Boys, MGMT and Flaming Lips bonding over the Turtles’ greatest hits.
With the album already boasting a stratospheric 9.6 rating on influential (if highly suspect) music site Pitchfork, Animal Collective is elevating to a very rarefied air. Over the course of 2009, they’re likely to experience breakout success almost simultaneously with the inevitable backlash. In short, by the time they’re on Saturday Night Live, long-time fans will be lamenting the good old days, when Animal Collective was theirs and theirs alone.
Animal Collective plays the Fonda on January 25. They also perform at the Troubadour on January 26.
