The best tracks are among his strongest and the entire record finds Portner opening up the gates of noise and abstraction that can cloud his productions just enough for listeners to get a better look at his mysterious but friendly world as it evolves.
The seasoned avant-garde maestro applies concision lacking on the previous LP, adopting a meditative pace that enables the concept’s nuances to gently unfold; trading sprawling extravagance for focused definition.
The resulting music ranks among Avey Tare’s strongest work of the ’10s, whether alone or with Animal Collective, and should be required listening for any old Millennial scared of turning 40 but even more scared of the alternative.
Despite a miss or two, with Cows On Hourglass Pond Tare will likely appease even the most weary AnCo audiences, stringing together an album that is sonically ornate, scintillating, and poetically metaphysical.
Frequently unintelligible, and downright bizarre lyrics only serve to add to the personality of his genre-bending music. Ultimately, ‘Cows On Hourglass Pond’ is a new kind of psych-folk that Avey Tare can proudly call his own.
Tare never leaves a moment of his music dull this time around. Though it may be a little long form for some, this is by far one of Tare’s most accessible albums to date.
The lyrics in the album defy explanation for anyone but Avey, yet that’s part of their charm. The whole album is drenched in a film of impenetrability, which repeated listens don’t break, but make peace with.
It's a pensive work from one of music's most spellbinding conjurors of the unknown.
Delicate whispers and creepy crooning are a near-perfect match for such blissful and nocturnal music.
Dave Portner’s latest solo excursion stakes out a middle ground between the exterior and interior, between direct melodies and the oblique music they float on.
Cows on Hourglass Pond is most impactful when it takes a variety of simple pieces and builds a powerful sound.
If these songs were all written on the stage during Avey’s last tour, maybe some of them need to get back up there for some more workshopping.
This has been coming a while now. As AnCo and Panda Bear have both stagnated Avey's solo releases have been getting progressively stronger to the point where this latest album would rank in the top five Collective affiliated jams.
Yes, it's that good.
Take a jaunt in the murky swamp, where the gators chirp angelic sounds and are too stoned to bother with you.
This is my favorite Avey solo album, and although I I enjoy the new Panda more than most, I definitely enjoy this more. Awesome album cover. Some vintage Avey sounds on here, the screams in K.C. Yours remind me of some of AC's best moments.
After many years where Animal Collective had a sort of idea drought, Avey Tare concocts what is the strongest AnCo-related album in a very long time! "Cows on Hourglass Pond"'s production is beautiful, the lyrical themes are smart and the atmosphere is miles better than the nausea of Panda Bear's "Buoys".
Fav Tracks: Saturdays (Again), HORS_, K.C. Yours, Taken Boy, Eyes On Eyes, Remember Mayan, What's The Goodside?
Least Fav Track: Nostalgia in ... read more
easily my fav avey solo album. Finally picked this up when seeing AC @ Meow Wolf in Sante Fe which was amazing. So glad these guys are all still making music.
Cows on Hourglass Pond is another incredibly experimental project from Avey that contains some of Avey’s best lyrics and some of Avey’s most relaxing songs. The production is excellent and sounds consistent throughout the project and his vocals once again really shine here. It’s an album that made me feel quite peaceful while having me in its trance. My favourite tracks are What’s The Goodside?, Saturdays (Again), Chilly Blue and Remember Mayan.
1 | What’s the Goodside? 6:31 | 65 |
2 | Eyes on Eyes 4:31 | 67 |
3 | Nostalgia in Lemonade 3:41 | 58 |
4 | Saturdays (Again) 4:49 | 69 |
5 | Chilly Blue 2:51 | 58 |
6 | K.C. Yours 6:12 | 63 |
7 | Our Little Chapter 3:40 | 58 |
8 | Taken Boy 3:41 | 59 |
9 | Remember Mayan 4:51 | 62 |
10 | HORS_ 4:56 | 77 |
#8 | / | Obscure Sound |