Avey Tare & Kria Brekken: Pullhair Rubeye

By: Sarah Moore

Husband and wife team, Avey Tare (aka David Portner of Animal Collective) and Kria Brekken (aka Kristin Anna Valtysdottir, formerly of mum) have put together an experimental album of quirky sounds and ambient, electronic soundscapes. Pullhair Rubeye (Paw Tracks) was recorded on eight tracks and then later mixed down to two. Different forms have appeared on the Internet but the true “retail” version consists of backwards recording, sped-up tape and other studio tricks. Brekken’s child-like, impish vocals bring a sexual offender vibe into the mix, and the album just sounds like it was recorded over two days of making love and recording music. This artsy, lovers’ album contains some of Tare’s backwards vocals, which bring in an otherworldly, unheard-of language.

The textured melodies certainly sound more complex than merely two tracks, as the deceptively lush sound boasts on cuts like “Palneka.” Keytars and electronics fill up this giant, fluctuating space, perhaps as the soundtrack to flagella propelling a single-celled organism. Brekken’s backwards vocals can’t help but sound Alvin-esque (perhaps even as far as Theodore-esque), exhibiting a sweet and playful charm. The album clocks in at just over 30 minutes, and that’s about as long as one’s patience is likely to last for this kind of aural experiment.

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