Band of the Week #2 - Deerhunter

pinksoir

So. Deerhunter, would we?

These dudes are one of my favourite acts at the moment and I find them incredibly interesting. I got into them pretty recently with Halcyon Digest, and have since been trawling my way through their back catalogue and I'm really impressed by each record. I would say that Halcyon Digest is a good place to start, though. It's by far their most cohesive record, and it's interesting to then go back and see how the pieces that make it so great gradually came together.

Take Microcastle, for example. This is a really rewarding listen, not only for the blend of shoegaze, indie, post-punk and whatever else, but also for Bradford Cox's lyrics. Whether he's talking about nothing ever happening, or being captured by Victorian vampires with elaborate designs, there seems to be a great depth and expanse to the things he'll write about. A lot of it is possibly a reflection of some deep inner terrors. He suffers from Marfan syndrome and he has said in interviews that his early life was that of an outcast. Even now he views himself as a weird looking, ugly guy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1JHdSBibO8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNXzBlXu5Eo

He's also interesting because he claims to write in a stream-of-consciousness style, where none of his lyrics are conceived of in advance or revised after. This can lead to some gold, but also to some lame stuff where I'm left thinking he maybe could have done better. But I guess that's all part of the process. His lyrics are pretty unique regardless and he's obviously a really smart dude with a singular view of the world. And all sung in his light, lilting, sighing, world weary kind of way.

But anyway, the most obvious thing about Deerhunter is the sound. There's a few different aspects to it including a good dynamic of quiet and loud spread across their albums, a mix of straight up indie-rock and more experimental stuff, and their not being afraid to wig out.

On both Microcastle and Halcyon Digest there are centrepiece songs. Microcastle has Nothing Ever Happens, and Halcyon Digest has Desire lines. Both of these songs are sort of summaries of what the band are about. Each start with a more traditional indie-rock sound and then evolve into a lengthy instrumental that builds in intensity as it wigs out. In the case of Nothing Ever Happens, it's preceded by three short, quiet songs which are great examples of Deerhunter's ability to use space in their writing. It's incredibly refreshing for a band to be as equally comfortable spazzing out with delay, distortion, synths and hypnotic repitition as they are with low-key, open and spacious sounds. Another great example of this is Sailing on Halcyon Digest. It's a wonderfully simple song that eases you into a feeling of calm and relaxation with a beautiful melody, touches of oscillating delay, enveloping reverb and simple, pared-back percussion. But as soon as it ends you're hit with the start of Memory Boy, a two minute wonder with its Motown drums, wall of sound guitars and driving harmonica. Deerhunter seem to revel in fooling the listener into a sense of calm and then kicking you in the face.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEgcJTPYl2c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwtDm06jRs4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mBSOtdOjoc

This aesthetic is also apparent not just between songs but within songs themselves. Microcastle's title track is the perfect example of this. It begins like Sailing with a relaxed, soft feeling, again with customary flushes of delay and reverb and then graduates into a driving representation of the same. I think one of Deerhunter's real strengths is in being able to take simple, classic chord progressions and transform them into something entirely contemporary and new. They seem to realise the power of nostalgia and aren't afraid to use it to great effect. There is something to be said for using simple song structures and evolving them through introducing new and interesting sound manipulation...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skXN3myVhM0

They also seem to like pushing the expectations we have of what a band should do. For example, Halcyon Digest opens with the five minute Earthquake, one of their more experimental songs with slow drum machine loops and arpeggiated guitar. This is not a standard way to open an album. We're used to being introduced with a catchy, strong opener, but this is Deerhunter saying we've got to do it their way, we have to take the album as a whole and trust them to take us on a trip. This is similar to Microcastle where we're led in with a huge intro and then the first three songs are more or less standard, straight up slices of indie. Then in the second half of the album the really interesting things start to happen.

I think my favourite song by them is Helicopter, a song about a male prostitute in Russia who was held captive and then murdered. It has a beautiful shoegaze aesthetic with gorgeous melodic guitar/synth, swathes of delay, ambient noise and glistening layers of swelling pads.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5RzpPrOd-4

I think Deerhunter are really on a roll, with their last three records being extremely strong and consistent while slowly evolving their sound. I'm really excited about their next record as I really think they are fast becoming the best act working at the moment. They're fairly prolific too. When Microcastle was leaked online they recorded another album to be released with it called Weird Era Cont. in order to reward their fans who went out and bought the physical copy. And that's not even taking into account Bradford Cox's solo project, Atlas Sound which is well worth a look. I listen to a Deerhunter/Atlas Sound record about twice a week and always find something new and exciting about it. I haven't been bored by them yet!

Few other bands are doing what these dudes are doing as well as they are doing it. Ugly, beautiful, harsh, soft, weird, straight, dreamy, nightmarish, serene, edgy. Brilliant.

MrStuffins

D'oh!

Why did I read the title as "Deerhoof"? I was like "What band is he on about? That's not Deerhoof!"

Haven't actually listened to Deerhunter before, will give them a bash through this thread. Thanks OP!

indiewindy

great band, love the songs you posted. this is my favourite deerhunter song

an amazing tribute to Jay Reatard

pinksoir

Deerhoof are great. One of my favourites, though they're a tough one to throw on at parties/gatherings...!

pinksoir

indiewindy wrote: »

great band, love the songs you posted. this is my favourite deerhunter song

an amazing tribute to Jay Reatard

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that one. A really great tribute alright and a great ending to an album. That sort of arpeggiated sound is used a lot in their and Atlas Sound's stuff. I wonder what it is. Sounds like a synth but I dunno what one. Could be guitar though...

Stompbox

Great post pinksoir. I remember sitting in my friend's living room late one night last year, baked beyond belief and watching some Irish music show. Next thing, the video for Helicopter begins playing in our darkened room of zombified college students and we were flummoxed (well, I was anyway, the others could just have been incapacitated). It was this gorgeous melody underpinned by swathes of gushing synth-lines and the kind of percussive backdrop that feels so liquid, it's as though you could sink into it. Got my grubby mitts on the album not too long later and it was terrific. I must invest some time in their back catalogue as I've heard some good things.

Also been meaning to check out his Atlas Sound stuff. So much music, so little time. Argh.

handsomecake

id never heard of this band until this thread. gonna give them a listen

pinksoir

Cheers. I was just taking example from your lead!

Microcastle is really great. Quite different from Halcyon Digest but not too much so.

Paralax is Atlas Sounds' latest. I'd kinda rate it as lesser Deerhunter. Like, I can see how important the other band members are to their overall sound. Still great stuff though, but not quite as good, I guess.

WRT so much music... I don't think there's that many really great bands about. There's a lot, but not so many you'll not get round to hearing them all. That being said, it's all subjective. Though for me there's only maybe twenty current acts going I'd have on heavy rotation. I think the mark of a great act is not becoming boring after multiple listens. There's a lot of stuff I'll put on the pen drive for my car and listen to once or twice and then just skip by every time afterwards until I eventually delete them off it.

I think Deerhunter are great because I never tire of them. There always seems to be something new to discover and different songs become my favourite etc etc.

JerryHandbag

Desire Lines is one of my favourite tracks right now, love the melody and then the long jam in its second half. Halcyon Digest is a great record and looking forward to discovering some of their earlier stuff.

Stompbox

handsomecake wrote: »

id never heard of this band until this thread. gonna give them a listen

This. This is exactly why this series of threads was created.

Pudsy33

No nominations? Ok so I'll go ahead and nominate Wild Beasts.

handsomecake

Eh i dont get all the fuss lads.gave their songs a whirl,im quite open minded but they are ****e.

pinksoir

Fair 'nuff. It's not expected that everyone likes everything. Why not nominate an act yourself for next week?

Jim_Kiy

Interesting comment above...critics are most welcome but just calling a band ****e is not constructive.Why are they ****e? Are they not original..lyrics are boring etc.And it must be remembered that youtube videos are not gonna give the Immersive experience of listening to the complete album
I havent heard them before either but helicopter is growing on me..Definately good stuff happening with this band and definitely not ****e.Remind me a little of Of Montreal for some reason.
Great post Pinksoir.

Menomena

Thundercats Ho

Good work Pinksoir. Pretty comprehensive.

Through a combination of no time, and sheer laziness, this wouldn't be compiled by me, but The National would make for an awesome botw #3

loyatemu

Definitely one of the most interesting alt acts around today - I've been listening to them a lot. if you like "Microcastle" make sure to get hold of the bonus disc "Weird Era Cont" - the 2 discs effectively make up a double album and bonus material is very strong. Also worth checking out is the "Rainwater Cassette Exchange" EP that came out between Microcastle and Halcyon Digest which is poppier than some of the stuff on the albums.

there's also a distinct christian slant to some of his lyrics - the 2 versions of "calvary scars", and also "Revival" which proclaims "i'm saved, I'm saved, I've felt his presence in me" - unusual in a mainstream act (Sufjan Stevens is the other example that springs to mind).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mw2ztGUpE04

triseke

just listened to some of the songs up there. LOVE it! Never heard of Deerhunter before, but def gonna listen more now!

Jim_Kiy

Pudsy33 wrote: »

No nominations? Ok so I'll go ahead and nominate Wild Beasts.

Wild Beasts its looking like, again I band I have not heard so go for it Pudsy!