tētēma
Geocidal
Ipecac Recordings
Street: 12.09
tētēma = ODDSAC-era Animal Collective – Panda Bear

I think that there are two ways to expand art into new territory. The first is to take previously established styles and push beyond convention in unique ways. The second, and preferred method on Geocidal, is to say, “Fuck it,” and go wild. This record could probably be described as more of a sound collage than a collection of songs, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it doesn’t really make for a compelling listen either. Geocidal feels like it needs a visual component to be really successful. As it stands, it’s interesting, but not something I really feel like I want to continue listening to after I finish writing this review. tētēma are off the deep end of art for the sake of art, but maybe, in a few years, we’ll be heralding this record as paving the way for new kinds of innovation in popular music. –Alex Gilvarry