Like me, you might know Deerhunter already as a band that's evolved from playing noisy guitar rock to psychedelic/electronic shoegaze to dreamy pop songs, and not as an Academy Award-winning film (that's spelled with a "The" and a space, anyway). Or maybe you don't know anything about them and love the movie. Or maybe it's something in between. In any event, you should hear their new album, Halcyon Digest, officially released tomorrow (Tuesday, September 28, 2010). If you get to it today, you can still hear it on NPR's First Listen series, otherwise you'll have to find it somewhere else. I got my vinyl copy in the mail last week and have played it a couple times (would have been more but I was away all weekend). It's really . . . I don't know, almost surprising to hear, coming from them, but then again it's a somewhat natural extension of the sound they were cultivating on the Rainwater Cassette Exchange EP that came out last year: quirky pop-sounding songs with shimmering loops of sound that induce a kind of childlike dream state, but then again not really since they're so upbeat. It's a far cry from the waves of crashing guitars on Crypotgrams and Microcastle/Weird Era, but it's hinted at by the creations on Rainwater.... I rather like it. Check out videos for the two lead singles below and consider buying the album. It's worth it.
If you really like it, check out their previous albums, too. I particularly enjoyed Microcastle, and solo albums from lead man Bradford Cox and guitarist Lockett Pundt are pretty solid, as well.
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How fortuitous: Pitchfork bestows Best New Music on Halcyon Digest today. Check out the review here, or just read the closing sentences here:
ReplyDelete"We'll never be able to parse every lyric or tease out every technical intricacy-- though somebody will probably try-- but that is what Halcyon Digest is all about: nostalgia not for an era, not for antiquated technology, but for a feeling of excitement, of connection, of that dumb obsession that makes life worth living no matter how horrible it gets. And then sharing that feeling with somebody else who'll start the cycle all over again."
Further update: check out the Southern Shelter mp3 blog for a recording of the LP release show on 10/01/2010 @ Variety Playhouse in Atlanta.
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