Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest Preview (Album)

These days, it feels strange to bemoan a period of less than twelve months as too long to have gone without recorded output from any artist. But such is the outrageously prolific nature of Bradford Cox, a man usually good for at least two records a year, that it seems like an age since his last release, October’s Atlas Sound album Logos. He even stopped spewing out the formerly frequent Virtual 7” recordings which litter the archives of the Deerhunter blog (most of which are well worth exploring if you find yourself with a spare afternoon and a fuckload of hard drive space). His quiet spell is due to end on September 28^th, as he and his Deerhunter cohorts knuckle back down to the day job with the release of their fifth full-lengther Halcyon Digest. Lead single Revival (quite fittingly, given the name), picks up the thread left by last Deerhunter EP Rainwater Cassette Exchange, taking on the same lazy, mildly shoegazey ambience of its predecessor. That’s not to say you should expect any kind of rehash of past glories, mind you, because Deerhunter are most definitely not that kind of band. There may be some vague sense of narrative logic running through their back catalogue, but a huge part of their overall appeal lies in their unpredictability and their sublime meandering tangents. In fact the only thing about Halcyon Digest that isn’t likely to surprise is its inevitable prominent spot in the end of end of year love-ins.

Deerhunter - Rainwater Cassette Exchange (EP)

Modern musicians tend to get a bit of a bad rap for not being as prolific as their counterparts of years gone by. Bradford Cox and his mates in Deerhunter, however, give massive lie to this reputation. By my reckoning, since the start of 2008, they have released four albums between them (two under the Deerhunter guise, one as Atlas Sound and one as Lotus Plaza). As well as this, dozens of songs, virtual singles and EPs have been given away for free download on Bradford’s blog.

In spite of the accusations of a lack of quality control which have been slung at the band, their prolific outlook is welcome, as is their relaxed attitude to giving their music away. It’s exciting to be able to chart an artist’s progression so readily. And, as anyone’s mother would tell you, it’s a bit churlish to turn your nose up at something that’s being handed to you for nothing.

The latest ‘proper’ Deerhunter release is the Rainwater Cassette Exchange EP. It opens with the title track which is an immediate example of the impact of Bradford’s recent Animal Collective fixation. The band take the underwater production feel of some recent Animal Collective songs and enhance it with a bassline which creates a real groove, making the song both woozy and stirring at the same time.

There’s something a bit child-like and heart-warming about the way Bradford’s influences seep into his band’s music. He’s clearly as much a fan as he is an artist. Where the genius of Deerhunter lies though is in their ability to create something completely original, in spite of wearing their influences firmly on their sleeves.

Like all Deerhunter records, Rainwater Cassette Exchange is a two-headed beast. Not content with just lulling the listener into a state of nirvana, they also decide to play around with their garage rock fantasies. ‘Disappearing Ink’ and ‘Famous Last Words’ form a twin pronged assault which see the band at their most visceral and energetic. So direct are they in fact, that at one point in ‘Disappearing Ink’, they almost sound a little bit like The Strokes (an unlikely comparison, I know).

The one EP track which we have already heard (thanks to Bradford’s giveaways) is ‘Game of Diamonds’. This is a beautiful piece of work, which chugs along gently, mixing plaintive yearning “No-one ever talked to me / Now I’ve forgotten how to speak” with some nice cryptic imagery, “As soft as a stranger’s hand / I’ve counted every grain of sand”.

The closing track on the EP, ‘Circulation’ quickly descends from distorted power chords and Deerhunter’s oft-utilised pounding beat into something else entirely. Random samples and noises are cluttered together, clinging desperately onto the back of a simple acoustic refrain, creating a delicate frenzy to close off the record.

It may clock in at a fraction over a quarter of an hour, but Rainwater Cassette Exchange takes you on a definite journey. It is varied, but not disjointed. Concise, but not half-formed. And it’s another mouthwatering reminder of just how brilliant Deerhunter are. Cherish them.