Avey Tare - Down There

Avey Tare
Down There
(2010, Paw Tracks)
RIYL = Animal Collective

It feels weird calling Avey Tare underrated, but I’ll still say it. I mean, when compared to Animal Collective bandmate Panda Bear and the golden halo that critics have crowned atop his head, Avey Tare might as well have been handed an empty KFC chicken bucket for a hat. Look what happened to Pullhair Rubeye (of which I will take every opportunity to champion in its original, reversed form – sooooo good). Down There isn’t getting hammered quite so bad as that album, but still, people seem a bit iffy about throwing weight towards it. For me, it’s not perfect, but still really great. Glum yet playful, muddy as all get out, and filled with all manner of lurking Down-There-ness. Avey really hit that swamp feeling perfectly because Down There feels like tromping mudded through a dark, sludgy stream, stringy slings of foliage milking the headspace above and yellow eyes peppering the darkness from left to right. I’ve heard people cherry picking the last couple songs as the only high points, but that feels like a rushed assessment. Sure they’re great, of course. But so is the mid section and beginning – simply needs a bit more time to creep in apparently (though, honestly, I found it immediately enchanting/haunting). I love Avey’s wiry vocals, the monstered effects he adds to them, and his general left field approach. As much as I love Panda Bear (and I do) Avey is what really sells me on Animal Collective (I suppose we shouldn’t forget Geologist and Deakin either). But Down There is a winner fer sure. Check it.

-Thistle

Black Dice - Repo

Black Dice
Repo
(04.2009, Paw Tracks)
RIYL = Kemialliset Ystavat, Excepter, Kid Koala on acid

Black Dice have always been on the brink of a major breakthrough. I’m not talking about international indie stardom or universal critical success – they’ve had their share of that (however limited or short-lived that’s been). And this also isn’t to say that their previous releases haven’t been successful. There is nary a disc that Black Dice have produced that hasn’t been as kookily ingenious as it has been wonderfully weird. No, Black Dice is great. However, in the midst of their singularly original sound there has been a constant and ever building air of potential. A potential for something that goes beyond the already nuts delicious alien ice cream truck music they’ve mastered in their tenure. Every step they’ve take has pushed them closer to this indefinable ‘it’ moment, but they’ve almost willfully left that end goal of a masterpiece just beyond the fingertips of their constructions. Well, it appears that the build up has finally approached a breaking point (contrary to what they’re last album insinuates). With Repo, the band's 5th/6th full length album, Black Dice have conceded to their master work. Or have they? I have been listening to this thing over and over with differing results. I’ll tell you one thing, on my first listen I, within the first two tracks I was ready to anoint Black Dice as the kings of spaced out noise oddity, however, it wouldn’t be a Black Dice record if there wasn’t a curveball or five to break you down as a listener and require you to either quit amidst the confusing rumble or endure to the realization of greener pastures. Yep, I was beginning to consider this the left field anti-pop masterpiece that Load Blown flew just short of, but then no. Repo is much more than that. And at times less. It’s contortionist music for gorillas with brain damage. It’s hip hop for the living dead. It’s something…else. There is no true describing it really, but on Repo there is an added emphasis on some almost hip hop style sampling that adds a breath of fresh air. While it may not be that perfect record I had hoped for, it’s undeniably high class and more enjoyable with each listen (maybe it will be that perfect record). It definitely has some of my favourite Black Dice moments ever, so expect that when you approach this record. And also, make sure you make it to the second half of the record. I tried to tread through the confounding middle section a couple times without success, but once I hit that last half I found a whole conglomerate of blissed out genius that floored me just as heavily as those first to tracks. Another beautiful thing about Black Dice is that they have developed a visual aesthetic that perfectly matches their sound. Their scattered collage images, bustling with bright neons and interspersed with fragmented photographs, seem to carry the visual weight of their equally bright and fragmented music. It is a beautiful fusion of mediums and indication of true artistry. Repo has a huge art booklet that more than makes a physical purchase worthwhile. In the end, Repo has proved itself a stalwart record worthy of its creator’s prowess. Oh, and if you read the Tiny Mix Tapes review, “he just doesn’t get it.” It's a confusing review for a confusing record, but that's just how BD roll.

-Lil' Thistle

Black Dice - "Glazin"

Rings - Black Habit

Rings
Black Habit
(01.2008, Paw Tracks)
Verdict: I want to love this album, it's just impossible

Rings is an all girl noise outfit out to blow your mind. Only problem is, although the intentions are apparent, they never quite get to mind blowing capacity. They flirt with groundbreaking, hold hands with progressive, and possibly peck the forehead of genius, but this babe just can't seem to score. Black Habit is a spooky swirly patchwork of primal drumming, resonating guitars, slight keyboards and a heavy layer or chanting or sparse timid and piercingly annoying vocals that seem incredibly forced. The album is mastered strangely which makes the whole of it seem a little empty and bewitching. I would have liked a more full sound occasionally, particularly after tense dark electric and drum buildups. There are so many promising aspects of this album, but I can't say I enjoy it. It leaves me hoping for more. Possibly if we see a sophomore release from Rings at some point in time it will accomplish what Black Habit set out to do and relieve me in my wanton wishes.

-Sassigrass

Rings - "Mom Dance"

Black Dice - Load Blown

Black Dice
Load Blown
(10.2007, Paw Tracks)
8.5/10

With Load Blown, Black Dice has finally made the full transition into head nodding noise that they started with on Broken Ear Record. This is dance music for the beat disoriented; a record for those who are perennially off beat when bouncing to the rhythm. The music is a service really – Black Dice have mashed together so many grooves of alternate tempos into each track that no matter the rate or pattern you nod your head or shake your hips there is inevitably some line of rhythm within the disharmonic bombast that your motions will align with. Essentially a singles collection culled from three previously released vinyl singles, Load Blown lays track after overwhelming track of awkward booty groovin' madness. Maintaining their penchant for the weird and their status among the New York avant garde underground, Black Dice have still managed to be as accessible as ever. I mean I can listen to Load Blown as easily as M.I.A.'s Kala…well, that's kind of an odd comparison in that it is simultaneously true and false (as in M.I.A. and BD are alternately difficult and easy to listen to in their individual ways). In the end Load Blown is truly a singles affair; easier to digest but also never hitting the risky high points of some of their previous efforts. Still Black Dice hasn’t made a bad album yet and Load Blown is a great entry point for newcomers and a pleasant progression for long time fans.

-Mr. Thistle

Eric Copeland - Hermaphrodite

Eric Copeland
Hermaphrodite
(08.2007, Paw Tracks)
8.5/10

Eric Copeland makes weird music. This has probably already been evidenced with his membership in NY experimental bands Black Dice and Terrestrial Tones; so, yeah, unarguably weird. On his horrifically packaged solo debut, Hermaphrodite, Copeland employs familiar freak-fest electronic soundscapes that fit snuggly between the works of his other bands. The "music" tends to disorient, confuse, excite, baffle, belittle, question, confuse again and then oddly satisfy (albeit confusingly). Hermaphrodite stays true to its title and cover art: never betraying a particular gender and most commonly achieving a whole new alien sexuality in its meanderings. Outer-space synthesizers, deep jungle percussion, manipulated vocal chants; these, among various other unidentifiable components, structure the looping madness. It all reminds me of the kind of music you might find at a rave in Mos Eisley (of Star Wars, duh). Copeland manages to avoid the potential pitfalls of the boredom/insanity that his experiments could potentially inhabit by packaging them in happy pop-sized scoops. Hermaphrodite is a terrific debut and deserves attention for its individual merits and not just for its musical relatives.

-Mr. Thistle

Eric Copeland - "Hermaphrodite"

Animal Collective - Hollinndagain

Animal Collective
Hollinndagain
(2006, Paw Tracks)
9.0/10

This is not a new recording from Animal Collective, but for all intents and purposes you should see it that way. Hollinndagain is a re-release of a limited edition (only 300!) vinyl album of live recordings released in 2003. During the period Animal Collective were playing brand new songs for every show. These are hand picked selections from early 2001 and definitely reflect the style of their other albums released around that time like Danse Manatee, Campfire Songs and especially Here Comes the Indian. With that said, these are all brand new songs that, unless you got a copy of the original vinyl, should be consumed like Rod and Tod Flanders eating Pixie Stix. Don’t let the fact that these are “Live recordings” scare you away either. I couldn’t imagine a better method of recording for any of these tracks. Now many of you may only be familiar with the Collective’s most recent excursions into psych-folk-pop weirdness on Sung Tongs and Feels. If this is the case, know that Hollinndagain is a completely different beast. Filled with a beard of extreme textures and intense tribal freak-outs, Hollinndagain is Lord of the Flies music at its craziest. This is an essential and completely legitimate release from one of the most inspired bands working today. (The album’s third song is the inspiration for our namesake!)

-Mr. Thistle

Animal Collective - Forest Gospel

Avey Tare + Kria Brekkan - Pullhair Rubeye

Avey Tare + Kria Brekkan
Pullhair Rubeye
(2007, Paw Tracks)
8.5/10

I don’t know why, but for me music often equates to animals and Pullhair Rubeye is like following a pack of monkeys underwater. How am I going to explain that? I don’t know if there is a real explanation but that’s what it sounds like: monkeys swimming. I can just imagine some documentary film following furry monkey completely under water so that the submerged echoes muddy the field recording as a beautiful melody provides the backdrop to the narrators description of the animal (I have been watching too many Planet Earth DVDs). Pullhair Rubeye is the figurative and literal love child of Avey Tare from Animal Collective and Kria Brekkan of Múm who were recently married. The album provides a kind of playful, primal innocence that is just unavoidably enjoyable. Pullhair Rubeye has also received an unfortunate scarlet letter because the album was released entirely in reverse. I understand that some people may be irritated at the fact that they may never hear the type of record they wanted out of these two musical master minds but I honestly believe that the result of this decision was inspired. The garbled vocals add another layer to the innocent/childlike appeal of the album. It has become very apparent that Avey Tare is the responsible member for this exciting element shared in Animal Collective’s recordings. Kria's keyboards and vocals fit perfectly with Avey's musings anchoring the songs into their odd structures. Obviously, listening to this record, it being in reverse and all, is going to provide a different listen than most, but if you let yourself sink in you will find yourself floating down the most beautiful, relaxing river, flanked by swimming monkeys on all sides!

-Mr. Thistle

Avey Tare + Kria Brekkan - Sis Around the Sawmill

Panda Bear - Person Pitch

Panda Bear
Person Pitch
(2007, Paw Tracks)
7.5/10

The hype for Person Pitch is ablaze and acclaim for Panda Bear’s follow up to the underrated Young Prayer now carries more words than most modern novels. Regardless, it is up to you to defend yourself from being won over by the majority and make sure your opinion of Person Pitch is yours. You know, you don’t have to love everything any Animal Collective member produces. Panda Bear’s third album sees him trading in the eternal acoustic strumming of previous albums to the knobs of a mixer. Spanning seven tracks of various length Person Pitch is one of the most deservedly (however overplayed the comparison is) labeled Brian-Wilson-influenced album to come out of the Paw Tracks camp. Using the genuinely beautiful harmonies that defined his influences along with slowly evolving repetitious samples, Panda Bear has molded seven extended pop songs. The effortless nature and drowsy comfort these songs embody somehow maintain an attention span but not too much more. There is nothing overtly groundbreaking here nor is there a particularly evocative melody climactic experience; just pleasantness. So, while enjoyable and recommended, for the over-hyped explorer: don’t expect the mind-blowing power Sung Tongs.

-Mr. Thistle

Panda Bear - Comfy In Nautica