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The WireDec 22, 2010Down there, his most accessible work outside the confines of Animal Collective, revels in that upside-down gravity. [Nov 2010, p.61]
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Nov 30, 2010Portner 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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MojoNov 5, 2010Musically, the influence of dubstep is readily apparent. [Dec. 2010, p. 99]
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Nov 1, 2010Down There may not be inherently more complex than the standard Animal Collective album, but its deliberate languidness, its songs measured and exposed as opposed to the usual frenzy, lends itself more fully to an exploration of how carefully the songs are shaped.
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Oct 29, 2010It's an album almost too personal, too suffocating, to match the transcendence of Portner's best work with Animal Collective; still, his vision of sad swampland, and its beautifully intricate and melancholy soundtrack, is haunting - the sound of someone confronting their demons and coming away stronger.
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UncutOct 28, 2010Down There reveals a lyrical quality to Dave Avey Tare Portner's songwriting that's not always apparent amid the radiant clatter of the full band. [Nov 2010, p.81]
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Oct 27, 2010With little pop appeal, Avey Tare's swampy debut is unlikely to grace top 40 radio playlists. But given time, Down There is a rewarding and fascinating listen, its allure in the seductive atmosphere it exudes with every glistening note and slimy drum fill.
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Oct 27, 2010Down There carries many of the hallmarks of c-wave in its purse like a pack of mints or set of keys, but it diverges in notable ways.
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Oct 25, 2010Still, quiet and reflective where Animal Collective has become epic and dense, the album is unique, a mellow gem of experimental folk.
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Oct 25, 2010Loaded with typically murky, watery beats and trademark wordless backing vocals, it's an off-kilter, densely hypnotic listen.
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Oct 25, 2010Half the tracks see the beats surface into formed drums but for the rest the stratification and distortion takes the sound field to new places. Dangerously engaging.
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Q MagazineOct 25, 2010It's a trawl through pop's murky subconscious, all mangled electronics, lurching beats and warped mantras. [Nov. 2010, p. 116]
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Oct 25, 2010Down There is less accessible than latter-day Animal Collective and harder to wrap your head around, but it isn't a callback to the more difficult sound that marked the band early on.
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Oct 27, 2010Down There harnesses the core duality upon which the AC empire is built: a warm and pure pop æsthetic folded harmoniously into layers of murky swirls and drips.
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Oct 26, 2010The dearth of wild-eyed dead-ends and weirdness-for-weirdness' sake makes Down There a compact and instantly pleasing listen, even when it goes down too easily.
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Oct 25, 2010Down There, David Portner aka Tare's debut solo joint, is a further dot on the still-empty dotted line of Animal Collective's career, built on a span of eight or so albums through which these guys have willfully, lovingly defied expectations and definitions and even maybe their own individual talents.
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Nov 10, 2010To 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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Nov 2, 2010Fans of Animal Collective and Panda Bear will obviously love this album; another creative triumph for the boys from Baltimore.
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Oct 27, 2010After an album full of well-earned wound-licking, it is reassuring to hear him, once again, rebounding with a lust for life.
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Under The RadarOct 26, 2010Portner's attention to meldoy makes Down There a tiny wonder. [Fall 2010, p. 58]
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Oct 26, 2010At best, the songs nudge around the furniture in your skull. At worst, they burble, drift and pleasantly fade away.
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Oct 25, 2010While it feels great to have some undiluted Avey Tare material, he seems a little creatively restless here.
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Alternative PressOct 29, 2010This is strictly a headphone listen--or, more likely, non-listen. [Nov 2010, p.108]
User score distribution:
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Positive: 22 out of 24
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Mixed: 1 out of 24
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Negative: 1 out of 24
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Nov 2, 2010
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Oct 30, 2010
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Oct 29, 2010Swampy stuff, right? A good debut album. I'd go with Lucky 1 and 3 Umbrellas.