Microcastle, 2008

Deerhunter - Microcastle

It never stops. The fascination of this band. They comitted their best album so far by adding Microcastle to their repertoire.

Bradford Cox is now back from his solo project Atlas Sound and concentrating on his role as frontman in the Atlanta based group Deerhunter. They succesfully put their name into North American music agenda and in Europe as well with their debut album Cryptograms. This breakthrough album was mentioned in every self-respected music magazine and was generally very well received. However, this album was not a masterpiece or of any revolutionairy music materiel but Deerhunter proofed themselves as a potential band.

The band fortunately still belongs to underground bacause the band master the anti-mainstream genre and avoided too much harmful hype. Deerhunter delivers an unified song package – not with inseparable songs but still an album that should not be fragmented but instead give an overall impression. To capture the right Deerhunter-spirit, I think you should listen to the album from start to end, however, the fantastic first single “Nothing Ever Happened” can ’stand alone’ though without the stereotypical structure of a hit.

The album starts with ‘Intro’ and slightly fades into the insinuating “Agoraphobia”. To follow comes a parade songs which brilliance can’t be described. The catchy “Never Stops”, the psychedelic “Little Kids” and the titel track “Microcastle”. After getting dreamily dizzy after a calm and beautiful passage with piano and harp you reach and !wake up! by the bass-pumping “Nothing Ever Happened” that ends after an amazing rock hotchpotch (but strictly strucktured) where Deerhunter proofs their sublime ability of ensemble playing. Continiously the band dishes up with great songs like “Saved By Old Times”, “These Hands” and finally rolling the ending credits with the quiet-noisy “Twilight At Carbon Lake”.

Lazy drums, sonorous guitars and various synths and percussion are all creating the psychedelic, timeless, noisy and amazing Deerhunter universe which brings up fantastic assosiations in your mind. Deerhunter is the sound of a caleidoscope with beautiful color schemes.

Please note that: So far I’ve seen three different Microcastle covers. This one is the cover for the album and the “Weird Era Cont.” bonus disc. Don’t get confused – obtain the album in whatever color or shape you can – it won’t change the brilliant content.

Story from the record: When “Saved By Old Times” had been recorded there was a gap, a ‘middle section’, Bradford Cox didn’t like. A passage where the instruments are kind of idling, a tick-over. It bothered him and he got this idea that could fill up the empty space. Why not put talking from a videochat onto a record? The band called up the friend of the band, and frontman in Black Lips, Cole Alexander from the studio and recorded a live, intercontinental iChat transmission. This was added to the track.

Source: Pitchforkmedia.com / see the video from the studio and a dick rising in the snow at Pitchfork TV : Deerhunter, in the studio, part 2 of 2