4.6 / 5.0
“I don’t mean / to seem like I care about material things / like a social status” sings Panda Bear on the single “My Girls,” almost as if he’s apologizing for the most accessible record AC has ever produced. Of course, we’re comparing this to Feels and Sung Tongs here…MPP is still more boldly innovative and experimental than most modern indie rock records we’ve seen lately. It’s also one of AC’s best.
The record opens with “In the Flowers,” which sounds like it was recorded in the murky depths of a cavern, or possibly a sewer—actually, the whole record sounds like it was recorded in a sewer, but no matter. “In the Flowers” oozes along to the sounds of dripping water echoing off the walls, until an EPIC explosion of sound knocks you off your comfortable feet. That follows “My Girls,” a head-banging dance rock anthem about living comfortably enough to buy adobe slabs for your gals but shunning materialistic goods. These two opening tracks are catchy and danceable enough to draw in any casual music fan (GASP!).
But don’t worry AC fans—all those pesky “casual fans” will be gone before the chorus of “Also Frightened.” While the rest of the album is still friendlier than the typical AC record, it’s all fantastic. Avey Tare and Panda Bear have never sounded better than through their delicious harmonizing on the up-tempo “Summertime Clothes.” “Guys Eyes” recalls the best moments off Panda Bear’s extraordinary solo album Person Pitch. “Lion in a Coma” is the most challenging to listen to—it’s a frustrating track with an awkward tempo which would be delightful to play at the dance my high school reunion dance (watching white people try to move to a 13-step beat would be hilarious indeed!). But once you figure out what the hell is going on, it’s a phenomenal track.
I’m still not so sure about the second-to-last track “No More Runnin’”—it’s the only song that the album wouldn’t suffer without. But AC quickly regain their steam in the extraordinary closer “Brothersport,” in which “You’ve got to open up your / open up your / open up your throat” is repeated over and over until you finally realize that your mouth has been wide open the whole time. At this point, you’ve become so captivated by this wonderful sewer music that you’ll do anything Panda and Avey tell you to do. But what they don’t have to tell is to listen to it all over again as soon as possible—as soon as the electro-gasm at the end of “Brothersport” fades out, you’re right back to “In the Flowers.” It’s been a while since I’ve spent so much time in the sewers.
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