An exclusive track-by-track first look at their new album, coming out January 20, 2009.

Over the past several years, Animal Collective has found their music subjected to a slew of reviewer-exhausted buzzwords and stereotypes—“experimental,” “primitive,” “eerie,” and of course, the annoyingly obvious “animalistic.” Such attempts to place the Baltimore-bred band in the clean-cut boxes of journalistic vocabulary have not only proven faulty, but seem to have the Collective’s catalogue reduced down to vague and seemingly uninspired cacophony.

Any fan of Animal Collective, however, will fervently deny such claims. Over the course of numerous studio albums and EPs, the band has created some of the most hauntingly affective and intricate music of the past decade. Driving on innovation and sonic textuality, Animal Collective’s genius rivals some of the most commercially celebrated indie music of the 2000s.

But, Animal Collective has never had their ‘shining moment,’ so to speak. Still a relatively small band by mainstream standards, the band remains one of those undiscovered musical gems—and yet, when discovered, many listeners still find too difficult to appreciate. To most, it appears that Animal Collective will sputter out like most artistically-driven bands, only remembered by the catchphrases used to define their material.

Then again, most have not yet heard Merriweather Post Pavilion.

Set to be released on Domino Records January 20th, Animal Collective’s follow-up to 2007’s brilliant Strawberry Jam, marks a notable turning point in the landscape of the Collective’s careers.

To put it simply—Merriweather Post Pavilion is Animal Collective like you’ve never heard Animal Collective before.

Collective friend Ben Allen served as the album’s producer—a surprising fact, considering Allen’s career has been built upon crafting hip-hop records with such artists as Gnarls Barkley and P. Diddy. Working in a genre where lyrics take precedence and a catchy hook dictates a song’s commercial success, Allen initially seemed an unlikely and altogether shocking choice for Animal Collective.

Yet, the extreme amount of low-end in Merriweather prompted the band to search for a producer capable of maintaining Animal Collective’s unique sound without it becoming overwhelmed and muddled by blasting basslines.

Not surprisingly, Allen pulls it off. Sifting through an ungodly amount of layered tracks, recorded samples and vocal overdubs, Allen runs the sounds through a variety of filters and plug-ins, adds more reverb than a Beach Boys record—and somehow, the final result is clean and crisp without being overly-produced.

This past week, Domino Records held an exclusive listening party for press and devoted fans interested in hearing the album months before the general public. (A leak seems unlikely these days, given the controversy over last summer’s Strawberry Jam snafu.)

The event, of course, was no-frills. Without any introduction, the background music fell silent, the chatter disappeared, and the first trembling sounds of Merriweather Post Pavilion flooded the room. Nearly an hour later, I (personally) was speechless.

Merriweather oozes with a thick, pounding bass—an amphetamine-fueled heartbeat lending undeniable electricity to songs wrought with an assortment of palpable textures. The result? Something completely innovative without being off-putting, a tribal and tropical ambiance, and songs more dancey than a box full of 80s synthpop.

Do not be fooled, however—the album’s more approachable and catchy undertones won’t throw Animal Collective onto an episode of Gossip Girl anytime soon; it’s still a hard-to-digest ethereal musical journey. Yet this distinctly uncommon combination of traditional experimental indie music, electronica, and mellowed-down hip-hop lends Merriweather an air of unrefined elegance. It’s loud, raucous, raw—but seeped in lush harmonies and organic composition.

But enough of this wistful musing on the beauty of Merriweather Post Pavilion. You just want to know about the songs, right?

1. IN THE FLOWERS — Merriweather’s opening track trickles slowly through the speakers, sounding like the strange offspring of a steam train and a forest creek. Avey Tare’s vocals timidly waver in wearing reverb-stained clothes, rising and falling with the percussive rhythm of a sampled acoustic guitar as the track builds to an oddly hypnotic sway. As Avey wishes he could “just leave [his] body for the night,” the first tastes of Merriweather’s earth-shattering bass explode in a power-packed climax. Arpeggiating bass pulses beneath a sparkling flute-like sample, and suddenly, Avey’s vocals become confident, determined. A fitting opener for an album with many more surprises tucked beneath unsuspecting songs.

2. MY GIRLS — I’ll just be a bit biased here: “My Girls” wins the title for my personal favorite track on Merriweather Post Pavilion. It is an obvious landslide, however. The track, featuring a revamped bassline, is one of the catchiest on the album. Full of bounce and sprinkled with the right amount of funk, the percussion serves as the perfect vehicle for Avey Tare and Panda Bear’s ‘call and response’ style vocals. Top it off with brutally honest and heartfelt lyrics—“I don’t mean to seem like I care about material things like a social status / I just want four walls and adobe slabs for my girls.”—and Animal Collective may have Merriweather’s first single on its hands.

3. ALSO FRIGHTENED — Despite all its bootleg incarnations, never has this song sounded so put-together. Having undergone an amazing transformation with the addition of a more prominent bassline and a definite streamlining, “Also Frightened” picks up where “In the Flowers” left off, bringing the listener into an induced quasi-nirvanic state. Singing of the worries of growing old and living the postmodern fear of the life unfulfilled, Animal Collective asks us if we’re “also frightened” of these inevitabilities. The answer? An emphatic yes, but somehow, the Collective makes such prospects seem less daunting.

4. SUMMERTIME CLOTHES — Early incarnations (known to fans as “Bearhug”) were mellow and understated, but on Merriweather, “Summertime Clothes” adopts the album’s characteristic driving bass and emerges as something more inspired and alive. Avey’s live shrieks and howls—fan favorites from live bootlegs—are absent, but hardly missed; with such a layered and full soundscape, anything more would seem frivolous. Forceful and driving, the track is the perfect and logical companion to “My Girls,” and equally worthy of single status.

5. DAILY ROUTINE — This Panda Bear outlet starts with its famous messy synth sample dissected and slowed before launching into a full-frontal attack with—you guessed it—extremely powerful bass thumping beneath Panda’s lilting vocals. Considerably more relaxed than the preceding tracks, “Daily Routine” provides a comfortable midpoint for the record to slowly shift focus into a more introspective, yet still heavy, groove.

6. BLUISH — The only 100% brand-new song on the album, “Bluish” is a gentle quasi-love song seeped in bubbly samples and a whole lot of reverb. While not as mind-blowingly heavy as the songs preceding it, Merriweather’s effect is not lost on this notably temperate track.

7. GUYS EYES — Working versions of this track, called “Song for Ariel,” prompted fans of the Collective to attribute the song’s title to fellow avant-garde musician Ariel Pink. If such is in fact true, “Guys Eyes” functions as a fitting tribute to the Los Angeles-based musician. Avey and Panda’s vocals dance around one another nymph-like, skating through a serious of freakishly beautiful vocal effects and looped melodies. (Additional fun fact: “Song for Ariel” is based off a sample of The Zombies’ “Let Me Be,” which totally gives Animal Collective infinite cool points in my book.)

8. TASTE — Fans of French website La Blogotheque may attribute “Taste” to the reconstructed video featuring the band frolicking in Parisian alleyways and along the banks of the Seine while riding a shopping cart. On Merriweather, the song is practically unrecognizable. More upbeat and cheerful than the Take-Away Show video version, the track—much like “Also Frightened”—has undergone a positive transformation, complete with a more present drum track and an accentuated bassline.

9. LION IN A COMA — While a majority of the tracks on Merriweather Post Pavilion have reached levels unachieved by their live incarnations, “Lion in a Coma” may be the only track which fails to deliver a charm more captivating than its bootlegs. Gone are Avey’s roaring, angry vocals; in their place, a strangely aurally perfected melody line. While the song’s unconventional time signature manages to lend a sense of urgency and disorderliness, the lack of tonal imperfection causes the track to sound overly-polished and restrained.

10. NO MORE RUNNIN’ — The only notably down-tempo track on the album, “No More Runnin’” pulls Merriweather’s listeners into a lazy lull, taking away the pounding bass and dance-fueled drums. While repetitive and understated, the track is a hypnotic outlet in the same vein as some of the Collective’s older songs. (Imagine a hybrid between “Loch Raven” and “Fireworks,” and you’ll get a good idea of the ambiance of “Runnin’.)

11. BROTHERSPORT — An amazingly fitting album closer and a fan favorite from bootlegs, “Brothersport” deceives by starting off considerably restrained and timid before exploding into full-on musical chaos. Decidedly tropical in its roots, the song bounces back and forth between a variety of verses, each one more catchy than the next. Again, the shrieks and screams from live versions of the song find themselves pushed down in the mix, but with bass this gut-rattling, who needs screaming anyway? If you do not find yourself dancing by the end of the song, you probably have no soul.

After a lackluster musical year, Animal Collective’s ambitious multi-genre fusion piece may finally pull the indie world out of its mid-decade slump. But, will Merriweather be the album that sets the pace for 2009? After all, with a January release date, the album has the undeniable potential to send shockwaves throughout the minds of fledgling musicians and spawn numerous bass-driven experimental dance outlets. Opponents may cry foul should such a scenario take place—too many Animal Collective imitators already flood the Pitchfork-approved music market—yet the band can take full bragging rights and claim a “We did it first.” We’ll let egotism slide on this one; Animal Collective deserves it.