Animal Collective have never been shy of side projects. The indie/experimental troupe’s singer/drummer Panda Bear (Noah Lennox) is as famous for his wondrous solo work as he is his exploits with Daft Punk. And singer/guitarist Avey Tare (Dave Portner) has released two interesting if not immediately captivating records of his own. With AnCo currently taking a breather after the 2012-2013 Centipede Hz album and tour, Portner and Lennox are back on the solo grind. Lennox is prepping a new album tentatively titled, of course, Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper, and Portner just released a new LP, Enter the Slasher House, on April 8.
Right. Now let’s breathe after all that jargony business and get to the point: Enter the Slasher House is super awesome and, omg, Avey Tare’s Slasher Flicks are coming to the Majestic.
So, if it’s not AnCo, who the heck are these ominous sounding Slasher Flicks? Portner’s band features keyboardist/singer Angel Deradoorian (formerly of Dirty Projectors) and drummer Jeremy Hyman (of Ponytail, Dan Deacon). Even in print they look like a kinetic group, and on the record Slasher Flicks sound electrifying. The band tracked much of the album live, and it shows. Portner’s jangly guitars mix with Deradoorian’s booming synth bass and Hyman’s spastic drumming for a lively, invigorating sound.
I send, per usual, unabated love to AnCo and mean no disrespect, but Slasher Flicks sound like more of a “band” than AnCo has since 2007. For those who disliked the hectic nature of Centipede Hz, Enter the Slasher House will probably not be an instant pleaser — but it rewards and rewards with subsequent listens. I’m an expert and I promise you.
With set design from the talented Abby Portner, this Slasher Flicks tour will likely be a visual delight as well as an aural one! Oohlala! And whether or not you caught AnCo at the Orpheum last fall shouldn’t matter for this show. Though there are obvious threads running through both Slasher Flicks and Animal Collective, I’d venture to say that live Slasher Flicks will give live AnCo a run for their money.