A group of four "concerned concert-goers" has drafted up a letter to the Pabst Theater that they also sent over the Shepherd: Dear Pabst Theater, We are writing to formally lodge a complaint. Why do you keep changing venues for your shows? Actually, we know why, it is so you can make more money, at the expense of the concert-goer. We understand that moving the venue allows...

Sure, it was impressive when the Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavillion cracked the Billboard Top 20 earlier this week, but perhaps a more telling indicator of the band's rising stock is their schedule May 19 concert in Milwaukee: It's been moved from the Turner Hall Ballroom, where it quickly sold out, to the much larger Riverside Theater. That Animal Collective would have been p...

Every year there's an artist or two that seizes the opportunity for uncontested press coverage (and early "could this be the album of the year?" buzz) by releasing records in January, a traditionally slow time for the music industry. Last year was a bust (all we got was Cat Power's redundant Jukebox album), but this year we've got two early winners: The Animal Collective's divisive but striking Me...

Early praise for Animal Collective�s latest album, Merriweather Post Pavilion, has been piercing, unanimous and, often, hilariously over the top. Comb the entire Internet, and you won�t find a negative review of the thing (at least not yet). The closest you�ll come is Rolling Stone�s requisite 3-� star deferral. Spin offers a level-headed 4/5, but Uncut better captures the consensus with a 5/5 r...

Love them or hate them—either position is justifiable—Animal Collective has a knack for creating sounds and sonics unlike any ever heard before, so it’s easy to see why critics—particularly those who rely on a good Internet connection to post their thoughts—have fallen so hard for these caustic, psych-folk slingers from Baltimore. Early buzz suggests that the band’s new Merriweather Post Pavillion could be their best album yet, and the band...