Avey Tare’s Slasher Flicks “Little Fang”

avey-tares-slasher-flicks-little-fangI was among the few who really liked Avey Tare’s previous solo album, Down There. Sure, maybe my opinion comes with the disclaimer that I can be a bit of an Animal Collective apologist. Nonetheless I think Down There struck a lovely, affecting chord while avoiding inaccessibility amid some grand experimentation. Like any band that’s been prolific for a while, there are the classic arguments about who the real “brains” behind the outfit is. While Merriweather, their most mainstream album, was allegedly a “Panda Bear album,” 2012’s Centipede Hz was considered more of an “Avey Tare album” (with the fan theory that guitarist Deakin actually called the shots. I have literally no idea, but that album has some killer guitar work). I always lean towards their Avey-centric work and so ‒ of course ‒ I was into this single. While lots of Down There was foggy and swampy, “Little Fang” is more of a dance tune. It’s one of the lightest, most airy confections to come from any branch of the Animal Collective…collective. In fact I’m willing to claim it’s the lightest, to the point where it’s nearly unrecognizable aside from Tare’s very distinct voice. Speaking of which, Tare continues to improve his singing. He’s not a classically great singer, especially when you compare him to Panda Bear, but there’s something to be said for having complete knowledge of your range and tone. He uses his voice in just the right ways on here and sounds better than ever. The track is really good (maybe a little too Ariel Pink-ish for me, but very good). Still, more importantly, this track reveals a very interesting direction for Avey Tare’s Slasher Flicks that has me incredibly excited and impatient.
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