After doing a little research for the Mum review and reading about Kria's new project, I figured I'd check it out. This album is the collaboration of Kria (Kristin Anna of Mum) and her husband, Avey (Dave Portner of Animal Collective).First off, I have to say that the whole shebang is strange. The album, as it is meant to be heard (kind of), is the backwards recording of all the tracks. These count as the "standard" songs. But the album also includes "reversed" versions of every song, which I take as a nice acceptance of people's desires to hear them normally. In addition, three songs are also presented in slower forms. Thus, we technically have an album that is about one-third unique work, but is different throughout.
As for the music, well, it's not quite as eccentric as the setup. A very simple folksy acoustic chillout session, basically just both artists singing over the guitar, with some piano thrown in. Kria's voice is beautiful as ever, like the crooning of children, and Avey's singing is pleasant as well. I will say that Kria does not show up nearly enough, and I definitely prefer her over her husband, who wore on me. The guitar and piano are not complex, but they are nice and relaxed. Ostensibly, this is why the songs are meant to be heard backwards - the shifting slur of reverse listening instills a much more exotic feel to the music, with almost a touch of Mum sneaking back in.
With an equal amount of intriguing and boring sections, Pullhair Rubeye is a pleasant trip that might drag on a little too long. Hopefully these two lovers will expand their sound on the next album, perhaps to the point where the album is interesting without being backwards. I don't mean that in a mean way, and they probably made the album with the intent of having it backwards, but I can't shake the feeling this wasn't the result of uncertainty and apprehension.
6/10
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