Many artists spend their lives chasing success, shaping, if not butchering their music to achieve posterity. In contrast, Animal Collective has, since their beginnings in the 2000s, played cat and mouse with the formats and constraints of popular music and, by extension, the expectations of their audience.
For most, the moment this came to fruition was Merriweather Post Pavilion.
Animal Collective have announced a live album Ballet Slippers, in honour of the 10 year anniversary of their modern classic Merriweather Post Pavilion.
Recorded in the midst of the band’s extensive and acclaimed nine-month tour in 2009, the album features Merriweather’s greatest hits alongside songs from older albums, like 2007’s Strawberry Jam and 2004’s Sung Tongs. The new release has also collected transitions and interludes.
Reflecting on the decade since Merriweather’s release, Animal Collective said:
“It’s impossible for us to remember the years around Merriweather Post Pavilion without thinking about the live experience. As the record turns 10, there has been a lot of talk about the album itself, but so much of the time living with those songs was spent on stage together. Every night on tour, the music opened up again, leaving us new spaces to fill and new opportunities to rethink our past. Just as Merriweather documents the era in one of its forms, we wanted Ballet Slippers to do the same for some of its other forms.”
Ballet Slippers will be released digitally as well as a deluxe three-LP edition on November 22, 2019, via Domino Records. It’s currently available for pre-order.
Ballet Slippers Tracklist
1. “In The Flowers” (June 2, 2009 – Boulder, CO)
2. “Who Could Win A Rabbit” (June 9, 2009 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
3. “Summertime Clothes” (June 9, 2009 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
4. “Bleed” (May 30, 2009 – Las Vegas, NV)
5. “Guys Eyes” (June 9, 2009 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
6. “My Girls” (May 30, 2009 – Las Vegas, NV)
7. “Banshee Beat” (June 2, 2009 – Boulder, CO)
8. “Lion In A Coma” (June 9, 2009 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
9. “No More Runnin’” (May 29, 2009 – Los Angeles, CA)
10. “Lablakely Dress / Fireworks” (June 9, 2009 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
11. “Daily Routine” (May 30, 2009 – Las Vegas, NV)
12. “Brothersport” (June 2, 2009 – Boulder, CO)
