Animal Collective - 'Merriweather Post Pavilion' (Domino) Released 12/01/09

Preferably you should be listening to the record accompanied by basking sunlight and dense beaches but that's obviously hard to come by unless you're from Australia at the moment. But you do occasionally get the feeling that we might just had the "sound of the summer" already without realising it. With a freezing cold window and far-too-thin curtains by your side, the album doesn't have such an impact as a cloudless blue sky would. That's not to say you can't enjoy the work whatsoever; just perhaps not to the same extent. All the less, energetic highlights ('Brothersport' and 'My Girls') combine with ambient drones of calm ('No More Runnin', the climax of 'Daily Routine') into an album so narrow in scope of sounds but so adventurous in ideas.

It's difficult to pick a favourite mood or even a favourite song, at that. A combination of two might just be an answer to that. 'Daily Routine' begins with a crunching, dis-jointed organ line before emerging into a combination of heavy beats and rhythmically-aware vocals from Panda Bear. It further progresses into a blissfully, increasingly abstract wave of noise before eventually closing to the sound of a siren. That's a lot to get your head round in six minutes.

The soothing yet fidgety number 'Bluish' is equally ambitious in its meeting of both relaxation and eagerness, with similarly impressive results. But it is the fire-starting frenzied side of the record that stands head and shoulders above all - 'Brothersport', 'My Girls' and the sheer intent during the climax of 'In The Flowers' kick you into action, require your attention; they're the ones that really make an impact. The opener commences in a sort of hungover-state; dreamy and not quite with it entirely. But the latter half of the song is a wiping away of any doubts fans had towards the album, a confirmation of the ridiculous level of buzz surrounding the band, all through the form of a joyful clenched fist of electronic rage. Thenafter, there's never a dull moment, especially not in closer 'Brothersport', which almost provokes an out-of-body experience. It gets you that carried away.

And so the only thing left to say is some sort of over-blown statement about how this album will change the world. Go ahead, call it the best album of the year. Go ahead, call it undoubtedly one of the best albums of the 21st century. You might even be right when you look back on this.