FIxation Focus: Deerhunter

One of my recent obsessions has been with the band Deerhunter. For the longest time, I put off listening to 'em because they were surrounded by the hype machine and that gets annoying after a while. That was around the time they released Cryptograms, which was early 2007. With the hype obviously came a ton of write-ups and blurbs about this band from Georgia, mainly how front-man Bradford Cox is crazy, waifish, cross-dressing on stage, anorexic (false)/bulimic (false)/has Marfan Syndrome (true), etc. After some time, I just got tired of hearing about it and any possible interest I might've had was squashed... until this new record of their's, Microcastle.

Cryptograms was a record that was awash in reverb, hushed vocals, and sounds that resulted in the descriptions of "atmospheric" or "ambient" and "psychedelic". Basically, the record is shoegaze, but not as over-the-top that a band like My Bloody Valentine was (is?). There are moments of toe-tapping on it, but I don't think that was the selling point of the record. The fact that there was a band who was creating a shoegaze-type sound in 2007... it sounding genuine... it coming from a place like Georgia - all of these traits brought this record out to the forefront and established this band as someone to watch for experimental indie rock.

Then comes Microcastle, a record that I think is brilliant. It's poppy, it sounds old, it's wisely restrained, and it also regains the psychedelia that attracted people to this band in the first place. As of right now, I'm having a harder time coming across bands that sound GREAT. I'm struggling with new releases from Stereolab, Jenny Lewis, and Brendan Canning, artists that I'm very familiar with and am passionate about what they do. However, there's something about these new records from favorite artists of mine that isn't sticking. Maybe I'm getting bored of the sounds that said bands bring to the table. None of this boredom exists with Microcastle.

What really put me head-over-heels with this band is a recent gig of their's. At the last minute, I read that Deerhunter were playing a free show at a vintage clothing store (of all places) in Atlanta. The band were doing the gig as a sign of appreciation to the locals who supported them as well as an attempt to break loose from the tour that they were involved with at the time - opening for Nine Inch Nails across America. I figured with the short notice and the free factor and the location, it would be a memorable event that would possibly be a short set and even including acoustics (or unplugged material). I was completely wrong and it was a fantastic mistake. The band played for more than an hour, all electric, playing songs from the two records I've mentioned, and having a lot of fun while doing it.

The material that was so hushed and held back on record was in your face, unrestrained, and loud as hell. It was brilliant. And it was all happening while I was looking through clothes from 1983. People were squeezed into the store, people were standing up on displays, others were outside-looking-in - it was just incredible.

After that show, I knew that was one of the top three free concert moments I've had and their music made for a great soundtrack for the rest of the summer. I found a great appreciation for the track "Nothing Ever Happened". About two-thirds of the way through the song, it just builds and builds with new guitar parts layered onto each other. Sometimes it's the simplest guitar parts that resonate the most, and that's absolutely what happens here. For some reason, whenever I listen to that part of the track, I want to unleash tears of joy while thrashing about. Music that makes me feel that kind of emotion is a wonderful thing.

Other standout tracks on Microcastle include the brooding "Saved by Old Times" and "Never Stops". Through and through, it's one of my favorite records of the year, for sure. What's even better about this listening experience is that Microcastle will apparently include a complementary album, Weird Era Cont.. This release includes the more psychedelic stylings that brought listeners to Deerhunter in the first place. What nails it for me is the album closer, "Calvary Scars II/Aux.". On Microcastle, the band perform a version of "Calvary Scars" that is short and to the point. The second version on Weird Era Cont. is raw, unleashed, and it rips. Perfect way to end an album, in my opinion.

For more information on the band, check out their myspace and give a few of their songs a listen. You won't regret it. What's also great about this band is that they often give away random recordings via their blog that mostly Bradford maintains. There are tons of videos up there of various things and every once in a while, he puts up Deerhunter or Atlas Sound (his solo project) demos for everyone to gauge.