Velvet Grooves

Ok, we'll keep the tone a little lighter. I'm a bit dissapointed. I downloaded the 'fixed' version of this a while back, and it was a lovely album. Soooo good, that I decided to buy it all the way from sunny Washington. Then when I put it on, I'm shocked to realise that the reversed version leaked originally was infact the real version. And this sucks! Almost anyway...

So the version I'm actually gonna review is the reversed reverse version (i.e. - the fixed one from fans). It's a great record when we hear it as recorded - Avey Tare's Animal Collective persona really shines through on the record. Kria's high pitched tone and tender piano playing adds a nice dimension to it all.

They say they were 'moved' by David Lynche's latest movie - 'Inland Empire' - which inspired them to make this record. Seems to flow.... lots of the albums tracks are actually very dreamy, such as 'Who Welses In My Hoff' - Avey's highly mellow whispering drifts in whilst Kria nicely harmonises on her side. All that to very mellow guitar strumming and light piano keys dropping in - it does make you picture a Lynch scene if you've watched one before. Almost like a modern Twin Peaks soundtrack.... and there are a few tracks like this - which if you manage to lose yourself in them, they're works of electic beauty. Probably the most 'normal' out of any Animal Collective members' works....

Pullhair/Rubeye does have its flaws in the fixed version as well though. The speedy banjo tracks - one seems enough. 'Palneka' seems to doss on a bit. Try this in its released form, and it's more like an endurance test! But the album does have its fair share of love - Kria's and Aveys love connection in this musically gives the album its depth.

So - it seems wierd and stupid that I've actually reviewed a non-released version over the actual release, but hey - I feel compelled to give positive rather than negative. Especially since Avey's work for Animal Collective remains to be some of the most beautiful I've heard. Plus Krias touch to both this album in its fixed form, and also her work on the latest AC album reflects beautifully on their ever evolving direction...

I'm not sure whether to say 'buy this album' in order to support their work... if I'd have known it was actually recorded in reverse, I wouldn't have bought it. Or MAYBE if they'd sold a CD of it fixed along with the reversed vinyl version, I'd have been happier. This is all getting very confusing yes?