Avey Tare met Animal Collective's Deakin (Josh Dibb), Panda Bear (Noah Lennox), and Geologist (Brian Weitz) in high school. For years, the four of them swapped homemade recordings, shared musical ideas and performed in different group configurations. Avey Tare recorded the Spirit They’re Gone, Spirit They’ve Vanished album with Panda Bear, and initially released the recording on the band's own Animal label in 2000.
After high school, Avey Tare and Geologist moved to New York City to attend NYU and Columbia University, respectively. Panda Bear and Deakin had eventually moved to NYC, and the band started to become more collaborative in nature. They finally settled on the name "Animal Collective".
Avery Tare released his first proper solo album, Down There, on October 25, 2010. Eucalyptus followed in July 2017, with the Essence of Eucalyptus EP, featuring remixes from various Animal Collective members, coming the year after. March 2019 brought Cows on Hourglass Pond, his most recent solo venture to date.
Avey Tare's other projects and releases include Terrestrial Tones with Eric Copeland of Black Dice, a split 12" with David Grubbs, an LP with his exwife (ex-Múm) Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir (aka Kría Brekkan) called Pullhair Rubeye, and Avery Tare’s Slasher Flicks with ex-Dirty Projectors member Angel Deradoorian and ex-Ponytail drummer Jeremy Hyman.
Crumbling Land
Avey Tare Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Then don't be disturbed by his eyes
I expose his front teeth to find out what he eats
And now he is starting to change
Oh he's wearing his virility, battle the hub, looking
Ready and willing to fight
Any waiting to speak will do,
He will eat you for meat, your body weight helps
Then chomp on his chompers at night
Or the ugliness split and thrive underneath
It's changing the face that he has
Will they tell you a (riddle) to burn (underneath),
But I know America's smite
Hear the dominant creatures unite at last
And waste in a crumbling land
Feelin' like a werewolf(5x)
The song Crumbling Land by Avey Tare contains lyrics that are cryptic and open to interpretation. The song begins with the line "If the prop that you stick is licking the house, then don't be disturbed by his eyes." This line suggests that if the tool being used to fix something is causing more harm, then it's not surprising if it's causing damage.
The next few lines suggest a battle or confrontation between two forces. The line "Oh he's wearing his virility, battle the hub, looking ready and willing to fight" implies that one side is aggressive and ready to engage in a fight. The line "Any waiting to speak will do, were-you's wary, weighing his waiting and stand" suggests that the other side is more contemplative and waiting for the right moment to speak or act.
The line "He will eat you for meat, your body weight helps, then chomp on his chompers at night," suggests a vicious and predatory behavior. The following line "Or the ugliness split and thrive underneath, it's changing the face that he has" suggests a transformation or a change in appearance due to some activity.
The last few lines are difficult to interpret. The line "Will they tell you a (riddle) to burn (underneath), but I know America's smite" is a bit enigmatic, possibly referring to something occurring in America. The following line "Hear the dominant creatures unite at last, and waste in a crumbling land" suggests that the dominant forces or creatures are coming together, leading to some waste or destruction.
Overall, the lyrics of Crumbling Land are open to interpretation and suggest a sense of conflict, change, and potential destruction.
Line by Line Meaning
If the prop that you stick is licking the house
If the tool you use to build is causing destruction
Then don't be disturbed by his eyes
Don't be deceived by appearances
I expose his front teeth to find out what he eats
I investigate to learn more about him
And now he is starting to change
And now he is transforming
Oh he's wearing his virility, battle the hub, looking
He's flaunting his manhood, ready for conflict and seeking attention
Ready and willing to fight
Prepared and eager to engage in battle
Any waiting to speak will do,
Anyone willing to express themselves
Were-you's wary, weighing his waiting and stand
Are you cautious, considering your position and readiness
He will eat you for meat, your body weight helps
He will consume you for sustenance, your size is an advantage
Then chomp on his chompers at night
Then he will use his teeth to chew on his prey
Or the ugliness split and thrive underneath
Or the unpleasantness inside will grow and evolve
It's changing the face that he has
It's altering his appearance
Will they tell you a (riddle) to burn (underneath),
Will they give you a challenge to solve that will lead to destruction
But I know America's smite
But I understand the destructive power of this country
Hear the dominant creatures unite at last
Witness the powerful animals coming together at long last
And waste in a crumbling land
And decay in a falling, deteriorating world
Feelin' like a werewolf(5x)
Feeling savage and transformed
Contributed by Cole E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
avedic
Noah writes beautiful melodies. but Avey is way more improvisationally creative. All his stuff sounds so chaotic and almost evil...but in a fun way? Bad way to word it...but those sorts of sounds usually are. His music, visually, reminds me of paintings by Rousseau. I love Down There....the first few times I heard it, I hated it. Listening to it now, I cannot fathom why. It's brilliant...every second of it.
willlliw
he needs to make a solo album sooooo badly
Tony
wow, i wish he put this on an album
Jacob Reynolds
Chnoubis it's on Spotify. it's the split series album, I'm not sure if it's on anything else
javier alzate
its probably the vintage voice effect he uses on his voice, the same thing you would say if you listen to of montreal, but avey tare is so avey tare, david is perfect
BrokenChair88
I loved it the first time I heard it.
Dylan Goodwin
Oh shit I haven't heard this in a few years! How I've missed it!
birdablaze
I want to hear a geologist solo.
preyaswolves
WHOA this is kick ass!
Dylan Goodwin
This song is NOT long enough!