Sunday, December 19, 2010

Deerhunter Revisited



Most musicians start at point A, go to point B, to point C, and continue to develop a sound that could have only evolved from all previous efforts. With Deerhunter, it seems the band has gone from point A (Cryptograms) to point B (Microcastle/Weird Era), but instead of going to C they went back, to somewhere in between points A and B with Halcyon Digest. This is not to debase the success of their latest record, as it is likely the perfect blend of the true Deerhunter sound- light at heart but also incredibly dense in scope.

The most underrated track of the Deerhunter discography...
Spring Hall Convert by olddusty

Cryptograms was a complex, mostly instrumental equation that introduced the band's more haunting capabilities; while Microcastle/Weird Era was almost the polar opposite. Though extremely drawn-out at 25-tracks long, Microcastle/Weird Era was much more direct; it did not explore the psychedelic compass of the previous record but instead ventured into more vocal pop tunes. Halcyon Digest has found its place somewhere between the broad electronic spectrum and radio-friendly appeal. Considering that Cryptograms' intrigue derived from its almost total inaccessibility, it is nice to hear Deerhunter return to these unique roots while also maintaining the likability that was achieved with Microcastle/Weird Era.



Halcyon Digest often works very independently from itself as the tracks go back-and-forth in tone and atmosphere, some remembering identically the music of two very different albums. In fact, Halcyon Digest almost functions like a greatest-hits record instead of one comprehensive piece. This hints that the band has room to develop a record that can intertwine all of their capabilities on a total album, not just individual tracks. But, with Halcyon Digest, it does appear that Deerhunter is coming into their own, with a sound that both the band and their fans are in comfortable bliss.

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