Band: Deerhunter
From: Atlanta, GA
Sound: Left-field pop…smoldering, noisy, uncompromising and ever-evolving
Similar Artists: Sonic Youth, Liars, My Bloody Valentine, Velvet Underground
Listen Now: “Nothing Ever Happened”

Here’s the truth: several centuries of reckless overuse have bludgeoned the whole concept of “irony” to a slow and wilting death. It probably doesn’t help that Bill Shakespeare’s command of the dramatic and situational set the initial bar pretty damn high, guaranteeing a steady nose dive that would one day culminate in the fiery wreckage of Ms. Morissette’s “Ironic” (a no smoking sign on your cigarette break? How far we’ve fallen).

And yet, bearing all this in mind, it’s impossible to assess everything that’s happened in the bizarro world of Deerhunter over the past year and conclude anything but….“Isn’t it ironic? Don’t you think?”

It’s in the details, the wistfully anti-technological undertones comprising Weird Era Cont. - their latest album and companion to their “other” latest album Microcastle, confusing yes, but we’ll take it step by step – and the cold fate that would prematurely greet it via, you guessed it, modern technology. It makes you wonder, when the world expects you to evolve in real time, what are you supposed to do?

Backspace Century

To recap…Deerhunter worked away on the full-length Microcastle starting back in 2007 with the intention of an October physical release, as frontman Bradford Cox envisioned the album – as well as Weird Era - as a classic Fall/Winter release. Unfortunately - if not inevitably, the record leaked some five months before this target date, at the very end of May of this past year. Cox’s hand was forced so he compromised his initial vision and offered Microcastle on iTunes beginning in August. And yet, despite the leak, he probably still felt he had an ace up his sleeve with Weird Era, planning to offer it as a surprise disc and even offering hints at its existence on his blog (he wrote the cryptic message “expect some surprises with the physical release of Microcastle” just two days after its premature iTunes release). Things were looking up, the ball was back in his court.

And less than two weeks later, everything went to shit. On August 16th, Cox posted a link to some new Atlas Sound material (his alias and solo project) on his blog. But in doing so, he inadvertently provided access to the entire unmastered Weird Era via his unlocked Mediafire account. The file bandits descended; it seemed all control over his own art had more or less been unceremoniously stripped from him. In this claustrophobic micro-niche of indie rock + new media, it felt like a breaking news segment on MSNBC, complete with swooping graphics and urgent music segueing into a stern-faced Contessa Brewer delivering somber news. It was a big deal.

It’s A Weird Era Indeed

And considering the message and aesthetics of the compromised media, this whole episode smacked of some brutal cosmic irony. Cox made no attempts to distort or shroud the meaning on this album: it is indeed a weird era we’re caught in. Technology is moving at hyper-speed, everything is impersonal, paranoia reigns. The album title says it all before the songs are even able to reinforce such intent, but reinforce they do. Weird Era starts with “Backspace Century”, itself a sly dose of wordplay suggesting the same quick-fix ethos found in the push of a computer button should be applied to the sins of modern society. Other songs like “VHS Dream” and “Vox Humana” (with the line “I remember cassette cathedral” repeated over and over) convey a longing for the bygone days of analog technology and the simpler times they connote. Is it really that much of a surprise then that Cox chose to release his most recent effort, the faux-Peel Session On Platts Eyott Island, exclusively on a limited run of all-but-extinct cassette tapes?

On Platts Eyott Island cassette (above)

The very sound and feel of Weird Era convey a sensation of encroaching technology. On the whole, a static fog permeates the album and feels as though the band is clawing and fighting to be discerned. The fadeout of “Operation” becomes consumed with a pungent suction of noise that feels accidental, like a cell phone went off and disrupted the sonic waves. In other places, instruments fight back. Hear the powerfully primitive drums on “Dot Gain” and how they cut through the clamor so immediately. If anything, Weird Era sounds like a ruined attempt at vacationing from technology, and this could be the entire point. After the whole leak fiasco, a weary Cox wrote on his blog, “for now I’m taking a quick break to get away from this weird glowing box that makes me insecure and feel like i have to defend myself all the time.”

The Corrections, Courtesy of Microcastle

Perhaps I should back up. Why am I even writing this? I thought Deerhunter was the band that made that inscrutable album Cryptograms that everyone went bonkers for and rashly anointed as the best thing ever? You know, the one that showed flashes of promise but ultimately stalled with meandering atmospherics and layers of noise? Yes, so very true, but with the gift of hindsight (and wearing my Microcastle lenses), I can see the light now!

The truth is, I still don’t care for Cryptograms that much, just my own personal tastes. I don’t think anything will change that, not even the amazing 1-2-3 punch of the Flourescent Grey EP, Microcastle and Weird Era Cont. But what these stellar follow-ups have allowed for is a bit of context and ultimately a whole lot of admiration.

above: Deerhunter’s 11/7 show at Music Hall of Williamsburg ©2008 Taryn Looney

Bradford Cox and the rest of Deerhunter – Moses Archuleta, Lockett Pundt, Josh Fauver, and Whitney Petty – are clearly following their muse. In a weird era (to borrow a phrase) where bands seem to be simultaneously criticized for doing the same thing over again but then rewarded for “staying true to their original sound” and not “reaching too far”, Deerhunter clearly doesn’t seem to give a shit. The name of their debut album – Turn It Up Faggot - suggests as much. On Cryptograms, Cox and company gleefully dove down the rabbit hole of ambient, unstructured noise. With Flourescent Grey, they presented a blast of focused and precise rock music. Now with Microcastle and Weird Era, they’ve managed to somehow pass off a beautifully weird album as a pop masterpiece (Microcastle) while deconstructing the entire affair a moment later (Weird Era).

So far, Microcastle represents the pinnacle of their ever-evolving sound. The sheer accessibility of songs like “Never Stops” and “Agoraphobia” makes them seem effortless, but then a hundred listens later (when you’re still hooked, because unlike most gleaming pop songs, you will somehow never tire of these) the immaculate precision and harmony with which it all coalesces truly becomes evident. To put it another way, if every melody you love but might expect on the road of pop music traveled in the gravel of the breakdown lane before swerving back into the fast lane for no apparent reason, you’ve got Microcastle. It’s a nice ride.

A closing note on irony, it’s probably worth noting that despite the technological wariness suggested on Weird Era, Cox is in no danger of losing the battle to the dizzying speed and insatiable appetites that new media in the 21st century has unleashed. His prodigious output simply continues to outpace it. Two remarkable albums in one year…you do the math.

Listen:
“Nothing Ever Happened”
Bonus: Visit NYC Taper and listen to his excellent recording of Deerhunter’s entire 11/7 Music Hall of Williamsburg show

Watch:
Deerhunter In The Studio (Pitchfork.tv)
“Cover Me (Slowly)” and “Microcastle” unofficial videos by Adam Bruneau

See Deerhunter Live:
17 Nov – Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock Social Club
20 Nov – Vancouver, BC @ Richards On Richards
21 Nov – Seattle, WA @ Neumos
22 Nov – Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre
24 Nov – San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
25 Nov – Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre
28 Nov – San Diego, CA @ Casbah
29 Nov – Phoenix, AZ @ Modified Arts
01 Dec – Dallas, TX @ Palladium Loft
02 Dec – Austin, TX @ Emos Outside
03 Dec – Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live
04 Dec – Baton Rouge, LA @ Chelsea’s
05 Dec – New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks
06 Dec – Birmingham, AL @ Bottletree

*lead and top photos courtesy of Bradford Cox’s Flickr page

Visit Deerhunter on MySpace.
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See the list of bands recently featured as EAR FARM’s Band of the Week HERE.