Review: Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks - Enter The Slasher House
[Domino; 2014]
Rating: 8/10
By Sammi Nelson, Contributor
Key Tracks: “Little Fang,” “The Outlaw,” “Strange Colores”
Animal Collective’s David “Avey Tare” Portner has joined forces with former Dirty Projector Angel Deradoorian and drummer of the now-defunct Ponytail, Jeremy Hyman, to create Avey Tare’s Slasher Flicks, who are debuting with their album Enter the Slasher House.
Don’t be fooled by the album title that sounds like it belongs to a black metal band. The music is far from anything spooky, although it induce some chills with its ultra-psychedelic sound.
What else would one expect from Avey Tare? There are bound to be some trippy elements to his music no matter what new projects he begins, and Slasher Flicks is no exception. The album has received multiple comparisons to Animal Collective’s Centipede Hz, with additional relations to earlier AC works such as Feels and Strawberry Jam. Slasher Flicks feature the characteristic vocals of Avey Tare and hallucinogenic tones of these AC albums, yet the trio’s music features a more potent garage-band spice.
The album opens with “A Sender,” which can only be described as music one would hear on an extraterrestrial radio station. Honestly, it’s hard not to imagine some radical alien dudes jamming out to the song while they zoom through the galaxy in their spaceship. The eerie wailing sound from those hour-long Halloween CDs are featured in the song’s synthetic waves, creating the spookedelic feel suggested by the album title.
“Little Fang” is Slasher Flicks’ first single, which encases a taste of the entire album in its four-minute duration. It has a funky rhythm that will make listeners dance and sing along with Portner’s vocals. Encouraging lyrics such as, “You’re something special / You’ve got to shout it out,” are perpetuated throughout the song, producing good vibes and a message to any listeners lacking self-confidence, along with these simple lyrics: “If there are doubts then we will groove it out.”
It’s hard to pinpoint the heart of the album with so much energy flowing through all 11 tracks. There are several noteworthy tracks on the album, such as “The Outlaw.” The song simultaneously delivers both a euphoric ambience and driving energetic tempo with its cries of the future.
“Strange Colores” also deserves a shout-out, as it buzzes to life with its groovy guitars and beach-wave sound. The vocals are bright and colorful, just as the track’s title suggests. These songs are great examples of how the album contains multiple elements within its songs, never sticking with monotonous consistencies.
Avey Tare’s Slasher Flicks combine three amazingly talented souls who have collaborated to produce a true powerhouse sound with Enter the Slasher House. Perhaps the future will hold more work from the trio, but for now, all fans can do is get groovy with these fresh new tunes.
