Maura is making me bury the cover for Animal Collective’s forthcoming Merriweather Post Pavilion after the jump because its optical-illusion undulation gives her headaches. Truth be told, it’s another in a series of crappy Animal Collective album covers. (I eagerly anticipate someone in the comments changing that last statement to “a series of crappy Animal Collective albums.” Y’all are so predictable.)
Unlike others, I’m a fan of Animal Collective, but I do cringe every time one of their album covers makes an appearance. I’m not sure if they set out to make aggressively ugly album covers, but they sure succeed. This one is, perhaps, the most “successful”–a wiggly, squirmy optical illusion that never stops moving and makes you want to barf, and is atrocious-looking to boot. The last time I thought green and purple worked together was when the first Tim Burton Batman movie came out. You know, when I was 14.
Seriously, this is the kind of cover an act with a name like GruveShroom or Soul Diet would foist upon their Range Rover-driving fans. Like I said, I disagree with those who claim that the band is nothing more than wanker hippies in indie clothing, but AC’s not helping their case any with this ready-for-a-black-light reject.
i dunno. this is refreshing compared to strawberry jam. that cover was fug.
Isn’t there a Dave Matthews cover that has a magic eye cover? That was kind of cool in, like, 1993.
Their set at All Points West was one of the most self-indulgent horrendous things I’ve ever witnessed.
This will look perfect on my wall next to all those centerfolds from High Times.
Lol. “…wanker hippies in indie clothing.” I say I’m into AC sometimes but when I think about it, the only song I ever want/ed to listen to is “Peacebone”.
That cover is weird and I agree with Maura’s reaction.
Music for boring indie kids to smoke weed and make shitty album covers in Photoshop to.
That’s the title of the new record, right?
Hippy porn.
PS I anticipate this album getting an obscenely high Pitchfork review and I dread having to see the cover any time I skim past the Best New Music section.
I’m no A.C. fan but I do like the op-ill art, probably because I’m a big old stoner.
Dude, I just made that image my desktop wallpaper and now I feel like I’m tripping. Sweet.
This is making me go cross-eyed. A.C. are another of those bands I hear about all the time, but can’t be bothered to give them a listen. This kind of gimmickry isn’t helping their cause.
i am still giggling at ‘GruveShroom.’
@moomintroll:
IAWTC.
What the eff is an album?
psh. more like a series of crappy Animal Collective albums.
god.
Seriously, could someone who likes them explain their appeal? It doesn’t help when sites like Gorilla Vs. Bear fawn over them in such nauseating fashion.
i liked the cover for the feels album…
Seriously, could someone who likes them explain their appeal?
Sure. They bend a bunch of strange rythyms and textures and melodies into things that are both freaked out and catchy.
Also I think they put on the best live show I saw in ’07.
@Dick Laurent is dead.: I’ve got a dog in this race, so I’m probably stepping into a minefield here, but neither weed nor Photoshop were used in the creation of the cover. say what you will about the aesthetics of the cover–I could care less about that–but the idea that one could light up a joint and make that cover happen in Photoshop shows a total lack of understand of both weed and the Adobe suite of software. Seriously: try it and get back to me.
Long time reader first time commenter. I don’t troll blogs for references to my work, I assure you.
@cplaterecs: So how did you do it? It hurts my eyes…
@Camp Tiger Claw: That’s funny. They put on the WORST live show I saw in ’08 (and that’s saying a lot, considering I also saw Onerepublic this year).
@Camp Tiger Claw: I thought they were really good at the Pitchfork Fest.
I’m with Matos!
@2ironic4u: Well I guess you’re just 2awesome4me.
And Animal Collective.