Halcyon Digest

by Deerhunter

Overview

Inspired by the flyer culture of punk and college rock bands of the '70s and '80s, Deerhunter introduced Halcyon Digest with an "interactive Xerox art project" in which fans photocopied an old-school flyer made by Bradford Cox, pasted it around their towns, photographed it, and sent the results back to the band. Besides being a clever viral strategy to drum up interest for the album, it speaks to the way Deerhunter approaches how fleeting and important memories can be on these songs. Given how prolific Cox and crew have been together -- and separately, with his Atlas Sound project and Lockett Pundt's Lotus Plaza -- since 2007's Cryptograms, it's not surprising that they took this opportunity to look back. Halcyon Digest reveals a quieter, sometimes gentler Deerhunter than expected, and while Cox doesn't exactly sound tired, there's an occasional rasp in his voice that wasn't there before. Instead of emphasizing sonics that spiral out into the stratosphere as they did on Microcastle or Rainwater Cassette Exchange, the band focuses on the dream part of their dream pop. Halcyon Digest gets off to a sleepy start with "Earthquake," where sluggish beats, looping guitars, and reminiscences of "waking up on a dirty couch" feel like being awoken from a dream, or maybe going deeper into one. "Sailing" is a reverie on a pier, so whispered and intimate that it sounds like it belongs on a Cox solo album. Despite its delicacy, Halcyon Digest is some of Deerhunter's most down-to-earth music, and offers some of the band's most thoughtful songwriting. Cox is more interested in playing with layers of nostalgia than layers of sound, expressing his yearning by channeling the music of youth and rebellion of decades past. "Don't Cry" and "Basement Scene" evoke the eternally teenage sound of the Everly Brothers, filtered through a fever dream; the excellent "Memory Boy" cherishes "the smell of loose-leaf joints on jeans" with sparkling Anglophilic '60s pop. This may also be Deerhunter's most emotionally varied album, spanning the jubilant sax on the Strokes-like "Coronado" to "Helicopter"'s heartbreaking chamber pop, which embodies the lonely side of memories. The band saves just enough room for two quintessentially Deerhunter tracks: Pundt's gorgeous "Desire Lines" is a standout, taking flight halfway through into a glorious guitar excursion, while the transporting final track, "He Would Have Laughed," is all the more poignant for its dedication to Jay Reatard. It's not as immediate as previous Deerhunter albums, but Halcyon Digest has an appeal all its own: It's as difficult to grasp -- and as hard to shake -- as a memory lingering at the back of your brain. ~ Heather Phares

Product Details

Release Date:	09/28/2010
Label:	4Ad
UPC:	0652637303810

Tracks

1. Earthquake
2. Don't Cry
3. Revival
4. Sailing
5. Memory Boy
6. Desire Lines
7. Basement Scene
8. Fountain Stairs
9. Helicopter
10. Coronado
11. He Would Have Laughed

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Deerhunter   Primary Artist
Bradford Cox   Vocals
Lockett Pundt   Guitar,Vocals
Paul McPherson   Guitar (12 String),Guitar (12 String Acoustic)
Bill Oglesby   Saxophone

Technical Credits

Joe Lambert   Mastering
Bradford Cox   Composer,Engineer
Deerhunter   Engineer,Overdubs,Producer,Photography,Additional Production
David Barbe   Mixing,Engineer,Mixing Engineer
Lockett Pundt   Composer
Paul McPherson   Assistant
Drew Vandenberg   Assistant Engineer
George Mitchell   Cover Photo,Photography
Matt Tuttle   Intern
Robert Gardner   Mixing Assistant
Dan Gallo   Layout Assistance
Dennis Dinion   Model
Henry Barbe   Engineer,Producer
Juno Matto   Assistant
Winston Barbe   Intern,Assistant Engineer
Yousuf Ahmed   Intern
Ben H. Allen III   Mixing,Engineer,Overdubs,Producer,Mixing Engineer,Additional Production