Weekly Release Spotlight: Atlas Sound
Posted on 11/01/2009
Atlas Sound
Logos
[Kranky]
Bradford Cox is the shapeshifter of the modern music scene. He's considered elusive rock royalty by the most influential hipsters, but he's one of the nicest, most genuine and humble people you'll ever meet. He's worshipped by fans and other musicians as the genius mastermind behind Deerhunter and Atlas Sound, yet he's blundered by accidentally leaking demos onto the internet and for a while used Deerhunter's blog mainly as a medium for discussing the band's bodily functions. Not only can he write an upbeat rock song that will stick in your head for days, he excels at creating inescapably haunting melodies that are ethereal at best and unsettling at worst. With Deerhunter and with his solo project, Atlas Sound, Cox has made a career out of getting under people's skin and staying there, whatever way he can.
Cox started using the Atlas Sound name as a teenager in Georgia for the songs he recorded in his bedroom. For years it's remained a way for him to give life to the songs that don't quite work with Deerhunter. Logos is technically Atlas Sound's second full-length record, however quite a few EPs and split releases have come out over the last few years. While Atlas Sound isn't quite freak folk, Logos recalls the freakier moments of artists like Bill Callahan and Animal Collective member Noah Lennox (aka Panda Bear). There are definitely pop songs on the album - "Criminals," "Shelia" and "Quick Canal" (featuring Stereolab's Laetitia Sadier) could easily fit in on any Deerhunter record - but the rest of the album evokes exactly what Atlas Sound is: an eccentric guy alone in his room, writing and recording songs about his life. While Logos might wander into idiosyncratic territory, that is balanced by the comforting control in Cox's voice and his cool, deliberate delivery. From the first few seconds of "The Light That Failed," alien-sounding noises propel the album toward the darker side of Cox's musical spectrum. But by the third song, "Walkabout" (which features Lennox), he's brought us back safely to familiar territory.
That he's managed to hang on to this part of his musical personality through Atlas Sound while turning indie rock upside-down with Deerhunter is a testament both to Cox's shapeshifting nature and to the idea that it's important to remember where you came from. Even at its most peculiar moments, Logos reminds us that no matter where we end up in life or how hip we get, we've all been that eccentric guy or girl alone in our room, and part of us always will be. And if Bradford Cox says that's OK, it must be.
Stream: Atlas Sound - Walkabout (feat. Noah Lennox)
Written by Dana Raidt, Radio K volunteer.