It's Deer Hunting Season!

Image by Jalapeño via Flickr

Sound Breakdown and Analysis

Go on a journey of sound with Deerhunter, an experimental, post-rock, indie band from Atlanta. Formed in 2001, these guys produce a sound they term "ghost rock" on their MySpace page. The early albums from Deerhunter nurture the dreamy, lightweight feel of the gloom rock they exude. Songs like "Strange Lights" and "Cryptograms" contribute to this conception.

What's more engaging is the presence of the band on stage during live performances. Lead singer Bradford Cox suffers from Marfan syndrome, a genetic disorder which among other health aggravators is characterized by abnormally long limbs. The late Joey Ramone endured the same condition. The look seems to compliment the sound. All Music Guide put it best: "Cox often exaggerates his otherworldly look by performing in Victorian-style party frocks and engaging in Iggy Pop-style acts of ritual self-abasement while his band mates churn out an aggressive mix of industrial-grind guitars and fractured dance rhythms that often recalls earlier Georgia art punks like the Method Actors and Pylon."

Why You Should Be Listening

The word on the streets (my streets are narrow and breezy) is that the new disc, Microcastle, the third full length album due out in late October, is more appealing to those indie rock fans who may not have loved previous incarnations Turn It Up Fa**ot [explicit title] or Deerhunter [censored title] (2005) and Cryptograms (2007). What does this mean for those who may be new to the Deerhunter sound? Take advantage of the opportunity and buckle up for a noisy, infectious good time.

Disjointed guitar riffed song "Operation" showcases the band's post-rock sound they've become popular over. "Nothing Ever Happened" is spinning on satellite radio right now; it features a groovy drum beat laid behind a more pop rock sounding flow, although the experimental elements of guitar and bass are still present just enough to recognize the band as Deerhunter of yesteryear. The "Little Kids" demo heard on the band's MySpace page features the space rock, dreamy-like feel of the band.

Bottom line is you should invest some time to get to know, or reknow, this unique on all accounts indie rock band.

Release Date: October 28, 2008

Overall Artist Rating: 8 out of 10 for when you feel in a drifting off into space kinda mood.

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The Great Eight - September 22nd

Yes, I know. It's been quite a while since I've graced your ears with something indieface-like to indulge in. That's what happens when the day job takes precedent over the job you do for fun and music love. Oh well, fear not my independently-minded friends! I have a new great eight with eight great mellow-minded tunes . . . Please to enjoy.

Midlake - Roscoe (from July 2006 release, The Trials of Van Occupanther, via Bella Union)
~ These Denton, Texas down home boys produce a 70's soft rock flashback complete with mellow instrumentation and a lyrical flow worthy of rockin' out with the longhairs.



Rouge Wave - Chicago X 12 (off September 2007 release, Asleep at Heaven's Gate, from Brushfire Records)
~ Acoustic lead, classic-sounding indie tune from this versatile group who compile "all their heartbreak, love, hurt, pain, elation and insight into a most affecting and beguiling record", according to an editorial review @ Amazon.com.



The Notwist - Good Lies (from June 2008 release, The Devil, You + Me, via Domino)
~ Described by some as "dream pop", this German quartet sends out the good feeling vibes and invites us into their sweetness to chill.



Wye Oak - Please Concrete (from April 2008 release, If Children, off Merge Records)

~ Pinned as shoegaze, noise, and folk sounding, the debut release from this Baltimore duo features a folksy hip, sweet sounding diddy starts off mellow and displays lead singer Jenn Wasner's enticing vocals; the song mixes up the bridge with a rockin' showing of talent from Wasner and drummer Andy Stack.



Hot Little Hands - Scene of The Crime (from Summer 2008 release, Dynamite In Black and White, off Rubber Records)
~ Australian group hands you your ears as they rock them off (other tunes on album set a cooler tone); these guys should be more well known and possibly blow up as the months go on, but we'll enjoy them now while we knew them when



Oxford Collapse - Young Love Delivers (off August 2008 release, Bits, via Sub Pop Records)
~ Via their fourth album, this quirky Brooklyn indie pop rock group lets you know they're "doing fine, thanks to [their] slow decline".



The Zincs - Hamstrung and Juvenile (from March 2008 release, Black Pompadour, via Thrill Jockey Records)
~ These Chicago-based mates are fronted by London-displaced lead singer James Elkington; this tune is described by a marsneedsguitars.com feature as "classic bit of droning organ and foreboding Sax with Elkington's brooding baritone leading the charge" which equals a chilled out rendition of indie jazz rock.



Morning State - Spectacular (off May 2008 release, You Know People I Know People, via the Indie Outlaw / The Orchard label)
~ This track eases into its rockin' capability and shows off the Atlanta-based band's full-length debut skills; take in the indie rockness!