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

Could've

The "could’ve" section. These are albums that, depending on the day, could have been interchangeable with many of the albums that made the final list, though, most likely in the latter ranks. I’m adding these mostly to complete the whole could’ve/would’ve/should’ve trilogy. Still, I have no problem blurbing about albums that I love, of which these qualify.

Juana Molina
Un Dia
(Domino, 2008)

Who at Domino thought that it would be a bad idea to put this album on vinyl? That’s what I want to know. I mean, people are aware of Juana Molina, right? And Domino isn’t exactly a petty label. And Un Dia is absolutely and completely, unequivocally, her best album, looped to bizarrely wonderful and always organic realms of wonder and mysticism. So, why?

Clinic
Internal Wrangler
(Domino, 2000)

A pretty standard decade-end listmaker, and for good reason. Internal Wrangler is claustrophobically tight, brooding little art rock record of purity and distinction. Oh how I would love for Clinic to reach these heights again. They’ve another new record set for this year, so here’s to hoping.

Avey Tare & Kria Brekkan
Pullhair Rubeye
(Paw Tracks, 2007)

This album is most notorious, to me at least, for receiving a 1.0 rating from Pitchfork. Which is ridiculous. The album is, I suppose (based on such reviews), frustrating because the entire thing was released in reverse: all instruments and lyrics playing backwards. Some have been savvy enough to correct this reversal by reversing it to its original composition, but I have avoided this. Pullhair Rubeye is just too wonderful the way it is, I wouldn’t want to dampen my listening experience by constantly having to refer to the forward playing version whenever I hear it. Really, one of the most beautiful albums of this past decade, there is no doubt. The only reason I omitted it was because I was already feeling guilty for all the Animal Collective albums I listed. Yet, this is a wholly unique venture and deserves a second attention, one divorced from attention deficit critics. So, so good.

Broadcast
Haha Sound
(Warp, 2003)

Gorgeous electropop bliss tempered with ample moments of crumbling electronic breakdowns and nuanced sound fissures, Haha Sound maintains a pitch perfect tone throughout. Mandatory listening for My Bloody Valentine apologists, with a pleasant twist that distances the band from any accusations of a watered down retread. An album (not to mention, a band) which has constantly been on my list of things to get to, but, of which, I never quite got around to until now.

-Thistle

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