By Chelsea Leifer, News Correspondent

The eighth studio album from electronic powerhouse Animal Collective dropped last Tuesday to much fanfare. With online leaks and a vinyl release that pre-empted Merriweather Post Pavillion by a few weeks, blogs like Stereogum.com were already raving about what could be proclaimed ‘the best album of 2009.’

Animal Collective is known for their catchy hooks and heavy use of electronic sampling, but to lock them into a distinct genre is difficult. They seem to create a class of their own with their style of avant-garde musings.’

Merriweather is a culmination of the band’s finest aspects. Where past albums were characterized by a jagged texture, Merriweather seems to portray their progression to maturity since the release of their first album, Spirit They’re Gone, Spirit They’ve Vanished, in 2000.

The same energy and celebratory nature resonates on Merriweather, but there is a softer quality to the music that breathes and flows smoothly from track to track, like the seamless transition from the opening track ‘In the Flowers’ to ‘My Girls.’

A family theme reoccurs on the album too, providing insight into the group’s updated priorities. It’s heard most prominently in the closing song, ‘Brothersport.’

Panda Bear sings about one brother supporting another after the death of their father, saying, ‘Open up your throat’ and ‘You’ve got so much inside / Let it come right out.’ These powerful lyrics are accompanied by a fast-paced, tribal beat that feels optimistic; it seems to be saying, strength must endure after sorrow.’

As always, Animal Collective prove they can create the most beautifully odd love songs, like ‘Summertime Clothes’ and the pop anthem ‘My Girls,’ on which Panda Bear professes, ‘I don’t need to seem like I care about material things like my social status / I just want four walls and adobe slabs for my girls.’ Though these lyrics are unusual, they are a standard aspect of Animal Collective’s boyish charm.’

Both songs represent the band’s best efforts on the album, with the former having a rigid, bouncy rhythm and the latter carrying an energetic boom of hand claps and cheering.’ ‘

The true vocal talent of the group is exemplified across the LP, especially on the cut ‘Also Frightened,’ when Avey Tare and Panda Bear’s exceptional abilities to harmonize are exposed as they warble off the haunting lyrics, ‘Will it be just like I’m dreaming?”

Although some awkward progressions exist, like the lyrical stuttering in ‘Lion in a Coma,’ they just add to the band’s character. With so many images of flowers and outdoor scenery written into the lyrics, it’s a wonder the album wasn’t released during the summer. But to the delight of devoted fans and newcomers alike, Merriweather brings warmth to this frigid winter season.