“Down There” by Avey Tare a dark but enchanting solo debut

• Tweet
• 

4/5 stars

Animal Collective member Avey Tare makes his solo debut with “Down There,” a bizarre and swampy psychedelic pop record.

In the works for roughly 2 years, “Down There” is Avey Tare’s (Dave Portner) first solo venture from Animal Collective, not counting 2007’s collaboration with past Mum vocalist and Avey’s then-wife Kria Brekkan.

Their only album, entitled “Pullhair Rubeye,” was a collection of intimate folk songs released in reverse, inspired in part by David Lynch’s film “Inland Empire,” which was in theatres at the time.

Here, with Tare all on his lonesome, his contributions to Animal Collective become far more obvious and they manage to stand on their own two feet quite well.

Recorded by fellow Animal Collective member Deakin (Josh Dibb,) “Down There” has a very squishy, swampy and murky sound. Most of the instrumentation is electronic and much of Avey’s vocals are processed heavily, sometimes to the point of incoherence.

Perhaps, the most immediate difference between “Down There” and much of Animal Collective’s output, 2009’s masterful “Merriweather Post Pavilion” in particular, is how dark it is.

In a recent video interview with his sister, Avey mentioned the album came from a very emotionally dark place, devised after his grandmother passed away, his older sister was diagnosed with cancer and his marriage began to disintegrate.

This darkness is reflected both lyrically and musically, especially in the hypnotic opener, “Laughing Hieroglyphic.” The track begins with a squishy and sputtering electronic beat before a wheezy, percussive accordion melody enters the fold.

Avey’s voice is processed, sounding distant and quite sad. “Hold me, I’ve been sad for days,” Avey pleads in the song’s chorus, desperate and intense.

“Down There” is an incredibly subtle, low-key record, not nearly as immediate or as outwardly infectious as Animal Collective’s output, though that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Repeat listens reveal layer upon layer of sounds, textures and lyrics.

“Cemeteries,” perhaps the album’s most subtle track, is a haunting and gorgeous ambient piece, beatless and lilting but packed tight with interesting sounds and textures giving the piece life.

The song conjures up images of a nighttime stroll through its namesake, both slightly scary and beautiful in a melancholy way.

Long time fans of Animal Collective will be delighted to find Avey delivering a solid and delightfully bizarre album, though its not likely to be one to win over a slew of new fans. Swampy, melancholy and subtly scary, “Down There” is a perfect album for this time of year.

Put it on at night and let it take you into its bizarre and enchanting world.