Deerhunter – Microcastle

Microcastle is album number three from Atlanta’s Deerhunter the self-titled debut (aka Turn It Up Fagot) was a noisy and raw punk racket, this was followed by Cryptograms, which in my eyes was one of the best albums of last year.

Cryptograms, was an album of two halves. Side one being an ambient punk hybrid and the flip being a more song based shoegazer. Then they went and dropped the Florescent Grey EP, which continued the more tuneful theme and really tightened up the song writing. This brings me to Microcastle, which continues this idea of bringing songs into the ambient punk template.

Deerhunter have got a bit more of a spring in their step here compared to the sweeping melancholic fuzzy swamp punk soundscape of Cryptograms. Microcastle still has moments of mellow gold but for the most part they have made a more focused snappier affair with a slight pop edge.

The pop comes in the form of either Brain Eno ‘Here Come The Warm Jets’ era influenced nuggets or 50’s / 60’s doo-whop like Martha & The Vandellas. A garage/punk vibe can also be heard that brings the raw edge of people like Half-Pint And The Fifths and other Atlanta natives The Black Lips, one of which feature on the album. This is all filtered through a kind of dreamy shoegaze machine into a My Bloody Valentine or Cocteau Twins shape before the final stage comes in the form of a Krautrock infused motorik beat of the likes of Faust or Can. It also sounds a bit more like the Atlas Sound side project than previous Deerhunter stuff.

Deerhunter take all these influences and make them their own. The tightness of the group is outstanding the drums and bass really drive everything forward, while the vocals and guitar make for some sweet music for daydreams. The balance of mellow and driving noise is something of beauty on Microcastle.

Microcastle has a beautiful, bright, warm, organic and crisp sound that is perfect for the autumn / winter you can imagain wrapping yourself up in a big coat and walking through the first frost or hazy evenings.

The intro melts into the wonderful Agoraphobia, which is sung by guitarist Lockett Pundt and is defiantly one of the highlights of the record. Never Stops & Little Kids continue in the same kind of vain before the mellow mid section of the record comes along. This starts with the title track and ends with Activa this is so blessed out and brings the mood right down, which makes the final motornik section all the more exciting. The closer Twilight at Carbon Lake sounds most like material from the previous album and brings it all back full circle.

Overall Microcastle is a fantastic album Deerhunter and Bradford Cox’s side project Atlas Sound have managed to make two of the most engaging and well realised albums of this year.

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Deerhunter – Microcastle

This has just gone and leaked its pretty self all over the Internet, somebody fetch a towel, this is a shame really since it has been mentioned to have a November release. That is way to far ahead for it to surface in my opinion, even if I am gagging to hear it. I had a whole feature ready to go about exciting future releases and Microcastle by Deerhunter was at the very top of that list, then low and behold out she pops. So that feature can wait for tomorrow, as this is pretty special.

From the first few listens Microcastle has a slight change in sound to the ambient punk styling of Cryptograms and the Florescent Grey EP. The guitar sound is cleaner and there is much more of an old school pop sound to it. It’s still beautiful, but in a different way, a brighter way. The fuzz is still there as always but not as in your face as before. The reverb has an old feel to it like soul records from the 50s/60s maybe as Bradford suggested a bit like the Everly Brothers gone shoegaze, well I added the last bit, there is also a string hint of Eno’s pop leanings, as there was for the Atlas Sound record. The vocals are slightly more prominent than on the previous LP, but they are still defiantly the Bradford Cox we know and love. Tender, fragile, sweet and soaring while drenched in reverb. Microcastle has a happier edge to it though it shines with a bright light and has some sharp edges to the guitar that Cryptograms didn’t have. Cryptograms was easily separated into two parts an A and B side with ambient sludgy punk sections on the A and more song based stuff on the B, Microcastle is more of a consistent album in that it isn’t so easily split in two. This is a little more traditional maybe or accessible? There is a bit of a doo-whop or blues swing to the tracks that give it a more accessible feel. I’m not quite sure that’s the right word to use for Microcastle as it is still pretty raw sounding and ranges in moods. It has surprised me actually, but pleasantly so.

The intro sets out the sound nicely with souring searching vocals and melancholy guitars. It peaks beautifully then we are right into the tune Agoraphobia, and the phrase, ‘Comfort me, cover me’. The wonderful cord progression brings a slight sadness to the song. A slight hint of Eno can be heard in a Here Come The Warm Jets kind of way.

Never Stop is a plucky little fellow, with a funky swing and beautiful bright fuzz. Bradford’s vocal performance is top notch here, a really good tune.

Little Kids is a slightly more mellow number than the last. The song fills with distortion, fuzz and reverb at its peak. A cacophony of sound then mellows to a finish.

Microcastle the title track has a fragile start, with just lonely guitar and vocals. But then the drums drop and a joyful buzz finishes off the tune in style. The vocal gating effect is used brilliantly here. Again there is an Eno vibe going on.

Calvary Scars, which, I keep calling Cavalry Scars by accident, has been around since last November on a live session, it’s a sweet and fragile tune like a lonely child weeping in a corner.

Green Jacket is a piano lead track with an echo-saturated soundscape with Bradford singing on top. The albums most mellow moment so far and its so beautiful. Floaty, dreamy and it fades into…

Activa perfectly: with a freaky and also dreamy electronic flicker fest with some acoustic picking. What a tune this is wow, nice section there, the last two work perfectly together.

Nothing Ever Happened brings us out of the midway mellow section with a bang and some grungy bass. It’s a perky one this with a proper rock edge. Bradford sings the same melody as the guitar and it works perfectly. The line, ‘It flashed right through me’ sticks in my mind. You can hear the ambient punk leanings in this track it gives me a big grin by the end.

Saved by Old Times is a pure 50s blues tune pretty much, with the echoy twang of strings and that slight clicky slam sound you will know it when you hear it and lyrics about, ‘Victorian vampires’ feature too for good measure. There is also a bit of a doo-whop swing to it. A spoken word montage about ghosts as well: we have it all here. It builds and builds out of its blues routes and into more ambient textures and layers of distorted guitar lines. ‘I was saved by, old times’ is repeated until the climax.

These Hands wavers in with some choppy ambient tremolo guitars. And woozy vocals on top of those fuzzy old school tunes. There is a sense of brightness and fun in all these tracks even in the mellow numbers.

Twilight At Carbon Lake is the Microcastle closer and it comes in with some good old ambient loops not unlike the ones heard on Cryptograms. The guitar melody sounds a little like Stand By Me the classic tune of old sets us off out of the loops. Sweet vocals drenched in reverb flow through buried slightly lower in the mix. A punky peak is hit as this tune builds mind and the teeth come out, with layers of dirty grunge ridden guitars and freaky vocal loops. Deerhunter know when to peak for maximum effect.

That’s the end that’s all of Deerhunter’s Microcastle, first impressions are very good indeed. I’m a big fan and this has just got me all the more excited to get my hands on this album proper. It’s different but still so good. Microcastle is defiantly a contender for record of the year so far. I think I need to calm down now…

I’m not one to spread leaks around so go and check out the Daytrotter Session that featured live versions of Calvary Scars and Activa that feature on Microcastle from the 19th November last year here.