Modern Classic Review: Halcyon Digest - Deerhunter
9.5/10
Background: Time to restore all the hipster cred (yes that is my intended audience) I lost by writing a Led Zeppelin review right out of the gate. Anyways. Deehunter is an indie/experimental rock band from Atlanta, Georgia that has been putting out hipster-worshiped music since 2001. Deerhunter's music has strong influences from shoegaze, punk, post-punk, dream pop, 50s/60s girl group pop, folk, alternative rock, and new wave music. The primary force behind Deerhunter (as well as the leader of the cherished indie act Atlas Sound) is Bradford Cox, the band's vocalist, secondary guitarist, and primary lyricist (for the most part). Other than their inconsequential debut album, their discography includes five albums and two EPs. Those albums include the brilliant but, well, cryptic Cryptograms (one of those albums everybody says is their favorite despite not understanding it at all), the double album Microcastle/Weird Era Cont. (this album is the one that actually got every fake-fan of Cryptograms into Deerhunter), Halcyon Digest (see below), the heavy, noisy departure Monomania, and their most recently album, Fading Frontier. As far as my personal history with Deerhunter goes, I thoroughly enjoyed Cryptograms once I understood it (I still do not "get" a decent portion of the first half), loved Microcastle/Weird Era Cont., am currently writing a review about how much I adore Halcyon Digest, found Monomania to be great in theory and ultimately disappointing (to be fair, how does one even follow up Halcyon Digest?) and am not sure how I feel about Fading Frontier.
Review: When I first heard about Deerhunter, before I had even heard their music, it was because somebody told me "Bradford Cox is one weird dude." I was thinking he was strange in more of a George Costanza way, and boy was I wrong. A self described asexual, not that there's anything wrong with that (that's right two Seinfeld references in one paragraph. I'm starting to get arrogant), a sufferer of Marfan's Syndrome, holder of an eccentric personality (Almost NSFW due to minor language in text format), and a genuinely unique individual, This eclecticism is important to Deerhunter's music, especially this particular album. The album is intended to play like a short series of radio blips, like breaks in the static of a dead radio channel. Many of the songs reflect Cox's feelings of melancholy, isolation, and resignation. Random/eventually connected aside/pity party: It seems fitting that as I write this I currently have a 102 degree fever (as well as all the fun side effects) and feel like death (what a chilling video), as this fever is how I imagine Bradford Cox has felt his entire life, judging by his music. Themes of death and loneliness cover this album like a blanket, as well as plenty of Southern Gothic and religious imagery, no doubt a product of the band's southern upbringing. They are then contrasted to the catchy melodies and beautiful effects and songwriting present behind the macabre lyrics. Cox, who is infamously outspoken (NSFW language) and extroverted to a creepy fault yet simultaneously vulnerable and damaged beyond repair, seems to be a fitting vessel for the themes presented on this album. Cox, understandably, has some serious inner demons, and they are made readily apparent over the course of Halcyon Digest's run time.
The album opens with the song "Earthquake." The song begins with a series of synthesized whispers and cracks, as an acoustic guitar plays delicately over the intentionally fake percussion. Cox then begins singing his typically cryptic lyrics in a voice nearly drowned out in effects. The lyrics discuss the false memories Cox created in his head during a rough period in his life, such as his non existent friendship with fellow musician Ricky Wilson (guitarist for the B-52s, AIDS casualty in 1985), or his memories of living in an abandoned harp factory. Like I said, Cox is a strange individual.
Deerhunter then launches into the next two tracks, the surprisingly heavy "Don't Cry" and the snakelike "Revival." Both tracks clock in at less than three minutes, and are loud, distorted affairs. Both tracks have helped Deerhunter further gain notoriety in the indie rock world for their "savage" live performance, where the hidden volume and aggression of their music is heavily amplified. While Deerhunter is not an inherently heavy band on record, some of their more aggressive album tracks can be made into punk-like jams if need be. Also to note on both tracks is the drumming of Moses Archuleta. Like most of the band, his talents are better showcased in a live format (check out the ridiculously talented bass playing by a barely conscious Joshua Fauver in that video in addition to the machine like precision of Archuleta during the more complicated passages), but even on record his precise and economical playing helps drive these two heavier songs forward.
After "Revival" the album reaches its first climax with the song "Sailing." The song is not the explosive climax that the earlier two songs might point towards. "Sailing" is a beautiful, quiet jam that features just Cox's voice and delicate guitar playing, plus some watery effects and subtle percussion towards the end. It paints a beautiful picture of simply wanting to sit on a boat and play guitar all day, with no worries, no pressure, nobody to judge, etc. Here Cox begins to develop his theme of isolation, but in this context it is by choice. Cox just wishes to get away from it all, to hop on a boat and go sailing. The song comes as a sharp contrast to the previous few tracks and sounds particularly poignant when contrasted.
The next three tracks, "Memory Boy," "Desire Lines" and "Basement Scene" show Deerhunter flexing some pop songwriting muscle. All three are upbeat, catchy, fast, and simultaneously dark. Their melodies draw from 50s and 60s girl group pop (especially the melody line of "Basement Scene"), post punk, and psychedelia. "Desire Lines" could just have easily been written Joy Division as "Basement Scene" could have been written by The Ronettes (minus the lyrics about getting high, but then again maybe not). These are the album's catchiest songs, and contain very little of the malice or depression found earlier in the album. Things are just beginning to look up for Cox's mental state.
Suddenly, all the progress made towards Cox's improvement is torn down by the album's true climax, the song "Helicopter." Cox paints the picture of himself in a vegetative state, on his deathbed. It is here that Cox decides to give into his demise, and lets the relief of death wash over him like a wave. The song features bubbling underwater effects, and the guitar that comes in for the chorus feels like a wave washing to shore. Cox's lyrics are beautiful and grim, and feature more of the religious imagery present on tracks like "Revival." The song features multiple peaks and has a wide dynamic range due to the delicate acoustic verses and and massive underwater chorus.
After "Helicopter" the album features the poppy "Fountain Stairs," the explosive, saxophone filled "Coronado" and the album's closer "He Would Have Laughed." Both "Fountain Stairs" and "Coronado" make use of horns in an unexpectedly brilliant way and are two great tracks that ultimately add little to the theme of the album. The closer is dedicated to the late garage rock legend Jay Reatard and features a delicate acoustic guitar and an interesting stop/start drum pattern. Cox puts on his best Jay Reatard impression by adding a bit of rasp and attitude to his voice, and the song switches speeds often over its seven minute run time.
As far as influence goes, it is hard to tell what impact Halcyon Digest will have. It is still a young album (released in 2010), and not one with a distinct or easy to imitate sound. However, it is still a very important album in the cannon of indie rock. It established Deerhunter as one of the more popular faces of indie and alternative music, and has done much to further the spread of dream pop and shoegaze influences in modern rock. Deerhunter's noise pop opus remains to this day their most popular and acclaimed album, as well as their easiest to understand because they were able to take the avant-garde nature of Cryptograms and fuse it with the pop of Microcastle/Weird Era Cont. in order to make an album that is so much more than either of those two.
Highlights: "Don't Cry' "Revival" "Sailing" "Memory Boy" "Desire Lines" "Helicopter"
Lowpoints: "Earthquake" (It feels like more of an experimental introduction than a song)
Recommended Albums: Parallax - Atlas Sound, Bloom - Beach House, Shields - Grizzly Bear, Here and Nowhere Else - Cloud Nothings
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