the great pumpkin

I just read on Tiny Mix Tapes that 4,500 copies of the new Animal Collective album sold out in less than a week.  I’m sure that you can still find a copy lingering around one or two stores in your town, but overall this is really impressive.

Meanwhile, according to MTV News, it appears that at this time next year we could be looking at Animal Collective in the #1 slot for vinyl sales. Indeed, it looks like the group may be poised to even dent in next week’s Billboard charts on the strength of vinyl sales alone. AC’s highly anticipated Merriweather Post Pavilion (TMT Review) was released in a deluxe vinyl edition (albeit one accompanied with a free digital download of the album) on Tuesday, two weeks ahead of its CD release. The initial run of 4,500 copies is already sold out, which, according to MTV’s estimates, could easily place the LP at around #160 on the Soundscan charts. However, it’s also possible that a substantial chunk of sales could go uncounted, as many indie stores do not report to Soundscan.

-from TMT’s Animal Collective Rides Vinyl Wave into ’09, Massive 2008 Vinyl Sales Figures Confuse Everyone but B-52s Fans

TMT’s article also states that vinyl sales doubled in 2008 from 2007, and there are some interesting stats about the top 10 selling LPs in 2008…including Neutral Milk Hotel’s Aeroplane Over the Sea.

I’m happy that I was able to get a copy from my favorite local shop Permanent Records.  Maybe it was just the fact that it’s way up in Greenpoint that they had copies, or it just could have been that I was super earlier…but the record collector inside me is thrilled that I have first press.  I’m about 99% sure my purchase wasn’t a Soundscan purchase, and this is one time that I kinda wish it was.

I think the album is great…and it really might be one of the best of 2009 (it’s way too earlier for that though), but I was a little shocked that pitchfork went as high as giving it a 9.6.

Tags: Animal Collective, Merriweather Post Pavilion, Permanent Records, Tiny Mix Tapes