Summary:The Brooklyn-based Animal Collective frontman's debut solo album is both dark and upbeat, as he experiments with energentic electronic production and soulful, slow-moving instrumentation.
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Record Label:Paw Tracks
Genre(s): Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Indie Rock, Lo-Fi, Experimental Rock, Indie Folk
It'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.
Down 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.
Down 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.
Avey Tare has created one of the best experimental pop records of the year. Tare has the uncanny ability to syphon new and interesting soundsAvey 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.…Expand
A perfect mix of sadness and happiness. Really comes across as an emotional effort. Atmospheric and amazing throughout, with graceful andA perfect mix of sadness and happiness. Really comes across as an emotional effort. Atmospheric and amazing throughout, with graceful and swampy moments.…Expand
This is his debut album, and man, is it good. This album has some great beats and good melodies. Sometimes the amount of vocal effects on someThis is his debut album, and man, is it good. This album has some great beats and good melodies. Sometimes the amount of vocal effects on some of the songs can be tiring. Otherwise, this album is great. You can hear the emotion in his voice and this is truly an emotional effort.…Expand
Avey Tare has finally shown us what he brings to Collective, and I was caught totally unawares by this album. I expected noisy, clutteredAvey 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
