Webcuts Music

It’s become tradition for Deerhunter fans to expect a new Atlas Sound album to follow a Deerhunter album. Given the success of Deerhunter’s Halcyon Days who could begrudge Bradford Cox not wanting to strike while the muse is still hot and prep an entirely new (ie: non-blog leaked) release? Due out on 4AD on November 8 will be the third Atlas Sound album entitled Parallax, the follow-up to 2008′s Logos. No word as yet if this is Bradford alone or with special guests. The website for Parallax offers scant details, bar a scrolling landscape and genre-defining the album as ‘Science Fiction’. Well, alright then.

With each successive show played in London growing in size from venue to venue, it’s a clear indication of the steady rise of this beloved Atlanta four-piece, and with Shepherd’s Bush Empire being sold out, it’s their largest capacity UK headline show to date. For the ardent, precious fan, Deerhunter aren’t your band anymore. The era of slipping into town for a small club tour is over, but from the staid, somewhat bemused crowd, Deerhunter’s roaming psychedelic-shoegaze and mutant folk-pop are still an acquired taste, one that’s seemingly unlikely to assail the upper reaches of the charts like label-mates, The National.

Well known for using his blog as a means to give away his music (even to his own chagrin, accidentally leaking an unfinished version of Atlas Sound’s Logos album months in advance), Deerhunter’s Bradford Cox seems to have trumped all previous attempts of goodwill and creative insight by releasing not one, but three separate collections of demos/works-in-progress and other miscellania. Released under his own Atlas Sound moniker, Cox has partaken in some early thanksgiving by giving fans something he’s called Bedroom Databank Vol’s 1-3.

The stakes are high on Deerhunter’s 4th album. Can they beat Webcuts album of the year 2008, their own magnificent Microcastle?

“Take my hand and pray with me”, and how we’ve prayed, patiently awaiting the arrival of Deerhunter’s 4th album Halcyon Digest. For the dimly remembering, the monumental Microcastle was Webcuts album of the year for 2008, and expections have already been set. “Helicopter” is the second track to be previewed from the album and it’s a loop-based, plink-plonk synth-led Deerhunter meets The Littlest Mermaid undersea adventure with Bradford Cox revisiting his usual themes of isolation and escapism, and well you know the rest, drugs and paranoia. Unlike those ‘slacker’ bands out there like Wavves and Best Coast who talk about getting stoned and making music, Deerhunter is the real fuck-with-your-head deal. The collage of visuals for the clip (Deerhunter’s first ever video) is unsurprising for them, but there’s something about “Helicopter” that feels like it will have its greatest effect while being paranoid, trapped, and on drugs.

While a large portion of you out there are punching your computer screens and hating on Matador from being denied access to their Las Vegas 21st Birthday Party (i’ll be throwing a pity party somewhere in Los Angeles at the same time), our favourite Atlantan sons, Deerhunter have announced news of their fourth LP, Halcyon Digest to be released by 4AD on September 27 (28 in the US).

Bradford Cox of Deerhunter makes us seem like we’re slavishly supportive of everything his hand touches, but we mean every word. Honest.

Another month, another Deerhunter namecheck this time through the release of Logos the forthcoming album from Bradford Cox’s side project Atlas Sound, which features guest appearances via Panda Bear from Animal Collective and Laetitia Sadier from Stereolab.

Deerhunter’s willowy singer-guitarist and stand-up comic in the making Bradford Cox entered the 2Ser studios to trade words with Static’s Chris Berkley about all things in the Deerhunter-verse.

Hot on the heels of Microcastle comes this warmly welcomed five track EP from Webcuts’ band de jour.