Previewing Avey Tare at Neumos on 4/11

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Author: Riley Urbano

Cover photo courtesy of the artist.

Avey Tare is probably known to most as a member (or maybe even the frontman) of Animal Collective, which I would call a pretty genre defining band for the second-wave indie stuff coming out of New York in the late aughts. Animal Collective as a group really tends towards restless and excited vibes – they haven’t put out two similar sounding records in a row yet, whether it’s vaguely rock-inspired guitar music on 2007’s Strawberry Jam or super aquatic electronics on the following record, ‘09’s monumental Merriweather Post Pavillion. I don’t think I could understate the impact that Animal Collective has had on my life: keeping track of their influences has lead me towards other incredible genres and artists ranging from ‘60s dub reggae to Scott Walker, and their combination of jam-band songwriting and hyper detailed production was just so addicting to me for years and years.

Avey Tare, as a solo act, is a different story altogether. He’s released quite a few solo records throughout his career and they range from, um, maybe-a-joke to wildly abstract. The wonderfully named Pullhair Rubeye came out literally backwards, Down There was a glitchy electronic breakup record, and Avey Tare’s Slasher Flicks main inspirational reference point was literally “The Monster Mash.” Recently though, Tare (real name David Portner) has taken somewhat of a turn towards the subdued, starting with his second most recent solo effort, Eucalyptus. Eucalyptus was a stripped back and melancholy record, built mostly around voice and guitar with a healthy dose of added psychedelic effects scattered throughout the mix. Tare carried that vibe into some recent Animal Collective releases, like the stunning track “Man of Oil” off of the band’s Meeting of the Waters EP. Which brings us to the record that Avey’s touring for, March’s Cows on Hourglass Pond. I’ll be honest: I think Cows is the best Animal Collective-related release in years. There are more than a few moments on here that legitimately invoke the Beatles, he’s mercifully reigned in the weirdness… I mean it’s just straightforwardly a really good album, which is hard to say about most Animal Collective releases.

Full disclosure, I definitely have an emotional investment in the show – I tried to catch Animal Collective as a kid once, and they cancelled the show last minute, and I’ve kind of been wondering what any of these guys would sound like live ever since. It goes without saying that Tare is an absolute veteran live performer – he’s been touring with Animal Collective for upwards of 20 years now. He’s playing at Neumos tonight, Thursday 4/11.


RILEY URBANO | KXSU Music Reporter

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