Down There - Avey Tare
User Score
7.4 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 10 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 10
  3. Negative: 1 out of 10

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  1. muzztmt
    Oct 29, 2010
    7
    Swampy stuff, right? A good debut album. I'd go with Lucky 1 and 3 Umbrellas.
  2. TyJayRaz
    Oct 30, 2010
    9
    Avey Tare has finally shown us what he brings to Collective, and I was caught totally unawares by this album. I expected noisy, cluttered songs with scattered yelps and screams based on Portner's other projects, but Down There is a lo-fi, densely layered album that creates a unique distant sound quite unlike anything else I've ever heard. I fell in love with Portner's voice on Spirit, because I felt his honesty and pain coming through, a quality I felt was lost on later AnCo albums. Down There does an amazing job of bringing that kid back out of Avey. It seems that many AnCo fans think that Panda is the yin to Avey's yang, and the two run a system of checks and balances on each other. This album proves that Portner can control himself from getting to weird and wild on his own, and in fact, my only complaint with this album is that maybe he did tone it down just a little too much. I personally love the screams on songs like Reverend Green, and I think maybe just a little more of a rock-out on one or two songs on Down There would have made it a 10.

    Overall, this is a dark album that certainly takes multiple listens to get into, but for any fan of older AnCo stuff, or anyone who appreciates vocals becoming layers in the songs, rather than slapped on top of them, this is a fantastic, rewarding album. Additionally, because the album is so short, I find myself listening to it straight through most of the time, but if you're looking for the standouts, I recommend Laughing Hieroglyphic, Oliver Twist, Ghost of Books, and Lucky 1.    … Expand
  3. sdk
    Nov 2, 2010
    10
    Avey Tare has created one of the best experimental pop records of the year. Tare has the uncanny ability to syphon new and interesting sounds from the ether with Down There, a quaint, substantive record that will (IMHO) withhold the strain of time and musical prowess across the collective consciousness. He has truly created a new genre.

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
76 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 23 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 23
  3. Negative: 0 out of 23
  1. The Wire
    Dec 22, 2010
    80
    Down there, his most accessible work outside the confines of Animal Collective, revels in that upside-down gravity. [Nov 2010, p.61]
  2. Filter
    Nov 30, 2010
    80
    Portner has long oozed an anarchic and, at times, gloomy essence as Animal Collective's alpha songwriter, and Down There feels quite content wallowing in this murky bath.
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  3. New Musical Express (NME)
    Nov 10, 2010
    70
    To be completely honest, it's no revelation – at times the music feels incomplete, like a lonesome Portner is missing his bros – but it's played out beautifully, sunny in disposition and just a little wild around the edge.
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