A surprise awaits the casual listener on
Spirit They're Gone, Spirit They've Vanished
. The packaging hints at pastoral songs with acoustic guitar and percussion, but once the play button is pressed, the listener is taken on a demented journey through nature as bucolic as an
H.P. Lovecraft
story. On the first seconds of "Spirit They've Vanished," a shroud of buzzing and swooshing electronics reminds the listener that this was recorded in 2000; soft processed vocals cut through, and a reference to
Radiohead
's
OK Computer
becomes almost obligatory. (It remains throughout the album, but only as a vague relation.) After the dreamy first track, things really kick into gear. "April and the Phantom" is an exciting song with a drum'n'bass-like beat played with brushes on acoustic drums, simple melody, fast-strummed acoustic guitar, violent outbursts in the chorus (reminiscent of a trick
Paul McCartney
played with
Wings
), and the disquieting line "She ran out of nature" sung over and over -- powerful and quirky. There is something of early
David Bowie
in both the vocals and writing on "Everyone Whistling" and "Bat You'll Fly." Elsewhere on the album, heavy distortion and noisy electronics clash with soft piano arpeggios; the album closes with a 13-minute epic titled "Alvin Row."
Avey Tare
and
Panda Bear
sound like an acoustic version of
New Order
visited by the genius of
Bowie
and some studio time with
Christian Fennesz
or
Cornelius
. Some will find them too weird for straight tastes or too catchy for weird tastes -- then again, some will find them to be the best of both worlds. ~ François Couture