Avey Tareâs Slasher Flicks - Enter the Slasher House
Avey Tareâs Slasher Flicks - Enter the Slasher House
Released: April 7, 2014
Label: Domino
Score: 7.5/10
Note: Yeah, I admit it, I hit a slog with those Bowie records. Some of his 80s stuff is pretty bad. Iâll promise Iâll get back to it eventually, but there have been some new Animal Collective records out in the past couple of months, so Iâm going to catch up on all the AnCo related stuff Iâve missed since Centipede Hz.Â
Back in 2014, Avey Tare put together a band called Avey Tareâs Slasher Flicks with Angel Deradoorian and Jeremy Hyman. With them, he crafted some energetic tunes with a very different flavor than his 2010 solo effort Down There. The music on this record is far more straightforward than much of the music David Portner has crafted either with Animal Collective or in his previous solo works. It is a refreshing back-to-basics fare, especially after the meticulously sound-packed and complex Centipede Hz.Â
The best example of this is the funky horror-disco jam âLittle Fang,â which is one of Avey Tareâs most catchy songs. In much of his previous music, it is hard to tell how the sounds were crafted, often giving the music an otherworldly and bizarre quality, but in here he opts for a surprisingly band-like guitar-keys-drums ensemble. But even then, the song still has all of his trademark weirdness, filled with growls and yelps as you should expect from Avey.Â
Many of the best songs are similarly simple, and rely on the sheer strength of Avey Tareâs songwriting and vocals. The shining example is the album standout âStrange Colores,â an amazing and kaleidoscopic rock tune with buzzing synths. Other standouts are the punky rocker âBlind Babeâ and the psychedelic âDuplex Trip.â Some of the other tracks delve into more experimental territory. âCatchy (Was Contagious)â and âThat It Wonât Growâ should feel familiar to his work with Animal Collective, but do a good enough job impressing on their own right.Â
Unfortunately though, not all the tracks here hit the same heights. The weakest among the bunch come from the back-to-back slog of âRoses on the Windowâ and âModern Days E,â the latter of which brings out all of the worst aspects of Avey Tareâs songwriting with its obnoxious vocals and its inability to hit any emotional strings. Additionally, closer âYour Cardâ starts off promisingly, but fizzles spectacularly with an unimpressive middle section and the half-assed build that leads into it. The song seriously borders on self-parody.Â
Thankfully though, most of this record is good. Enter the Slasher House is a great addition to the Animal Collective catalog, showing Avey Tare at his most energetic and colorful. Itâs nice to see Avey Tare expanding his horizons outside of Animal Collective, and this album should be very enjoyable for fans of the band. Hereâs hoping that this isnât a one-off project and we get to see more from this trio.Â
Listen to:Â âStrange Coloresâ
Standout tracks:
Duplex Trip
Blind Babe
Little Fang
That It Wonât Grow
Strange Colores












