http://www.baeblemusic.com/concertvideo/McCarren-Park/Deerhunter.html
I don’t know why I have never watched this; in any case, enjoy!
Set List:
1) Calvalry Scars
2) Never Stops
3) Spring Hall Convert/Hazel St
4) Nothing Ever Happened
5)Flourescent Grey
6Operation
Saved By Old Times
8) Strange Lights
I’ve never considered myself a “hip” music fan, I don’t follow hypes and buzzes and things of that nature or at least I don’t follow bands for those reasons. Lotus Plaza is the solo project of Deerhunter lead guitarist and occasional vocalist, Lockett Pundt. About two years ago he released his first album (as Lotus Plaza) entitled The Floodlight Collective to mixed reviews: before the official release people really got off on it and then suddenly bashed it, as haters tend to do; haters gonna hater. Anyway, as much as I love Lockett in Deerhunter, especially his vocals on such classics as “Agoraphobia,” “Neither of Us, Uncertainly,” “Desire Lines, ” and “Fountain Stairs,” I never really checked out his solo work, until recently. I’m really digging Lotus Plaza, so I thought I’d share it with anyone that cares to check it out as with anything I post on here that I find fascinating aka gives me a musical erection. His singing here is truly gorgeous and evokes a lot of emotion in me per usual for his vocals. I really adore the mix of ambiance and pop. Keep up the good work Lockett!
The guys talk about everything from high school music tastes to ballpoint pens that look like syringes.
“I recommend a healthy dose of psilocybin mushrooms.”
This as equally hilarious as it is sagacious… well maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but find another entertainer with the brains and comic delivery of Bill. Yeah, I didn’t think so. It’s sad how this is not too long before he died. RIP buddy, you left us wayyy too soon.
Full Title: Carve Your Initials Into the Walls of the Night
Artist: Deerhunter
Year: 2005
Tracks:
1) Bright and Early
2) Cicadas
3) Rotation
4) But, I’m A Boy
5) Three Dolphins Melting Into Orange Wax
6) Snow Dogs
7) Dogs Are Cool
8) Homorobotic
9) Cordless
10) When I Taste Blood
Comments: On Saturday, December 12, 2009, Bradford Cox made this old, obscure, 2005 Deerhunter recording freely available to download from the Deerhunter blog (http://deerhuntertheband.blogspot.com/). He also had this to say: “Responding to several requests I have dug up an old copy of this 2005 Deerhunter CD-R. It features only me and Moses and is very experimental in nature. This was during our “tape phase” when we would often play shows as a duo (or as a trio with colin) playing only tape machines and vocal loops. Recorded live to 2-track cassette machine at Moses’ old house on North Ave & Ponce
“Mastered” at the Old Notown building on my dad’s ancient PC using Soundforge,
Scans of all orignal artwork from the Notown Xerox Machine included.”
Now, considering this was just a private recording not intended for official release this is more of a shout out then a review. It’s more of a way for me to keep things interesting and spread the word of some of Deerhunter’s lesser known work. I consider them to be one of the best Rock and Roll bands today and of all time, for that matter. This recording from 2005 is to me their most experimental and shows the different intricacies and dynamics of their sound and perhaps how it has evolved. What we hear on this recording is far different from much of their output and as I said far more experimental with practically none of the pop elements we are accustom to in Deerhunter’s music, which is totally fine and cool in a way. I always enjoy hearing something by a band that is completely different from anything else they have released. At the same time, one can definitely see how this is Deerhunter and how these sounds/elements/vibes would eventually find their way into later works. On this reocrding, we hear a lot of dance- club scene music (especially on “But, I’m a Boy) which could faintly be heard on their debut LP Turn It Up Faggot, also from 2005 (though recorded in 2003 or 2004). Except on that record, they were far more beastial, garage, and chaotic- also there was a full band, if I’m not mistaken. Bradford always describes that record in a negative manner, saying they weren’t ready and that they were a young band. That could be said about Carve Your Initals.. but I feel like this recording is actually the stronger of the two and feels more complete; I don’t know, maybe it’s just me. I actually prefer Faggot, but this record (if you want to call it that) has its sound down pat and as far as experimentation goes, it seems like it is alway open to anything, while the former felt confined, albeit nice to rock and freak out to. There is a lot to be appreciated here and best of all it shows the potential and neat character of what would later become an amazing band.
I know I’m a year and half late on this, but thanks for this free CD Bradford!
I’ve youtubed Shannon and the Clams before and I always enjoyed their stuff, but it wasn’t until last night when I heard this year’s LP Sleep Talk that I was convinced that this is one of the best bands lurking around the underground/”garage” Rock and Roll revivialist world. I knew Shannon Shaw from Hunx and His Punx and I’ve always been a massive fan of her vocals, for they were arguably the brightest light in the latest Hunx release, Too Young to Be in Love. Along with Mark Sultan, I think Shaw is perhaps the finest singer right now. The band as a whole have a mish mash of old school Rock and Roll, Doo Wop, Phil Spector Girl Groups of the love ballady variety, and without a doubt a fast Punk Rock driving sound/edge to them. Overall, this is fun, innocent Rock and Roll, but with just a bit more kick to it; they really can rock hard and freak out like on ” King of the Sea.” I’m sure they will be a future band of the week, in any case keep your eye out for these guys on KLYAM.
Artist: Deerhunter
Full Title: Fluorescent Grey EP
Year: 2007
Label: Kranky
Tracks:
1) Fluorescent Grey- 9
2) Dr. Glass- 7/8
3) Like New- 7
4) Wash Off- 9
Comments: Fluorescent Grey is a strong release from the always mind blowing Deerhunter. FG is a good middle ground between the more experimental aspects of Deerhunter’s earlier career and what would become their far more accessible, pop driven style in future albums. In this sense, this EP is a nice companion to their then previous LP Cryptograms (2007), as they often appear together as one full package. FG is representative of the more traditional pop song half of Cryptograms, leaving the more experimental, ambient half behind for this release. In some ways, Deerhunter recycles many of the same ideas and sounds from that record, but overall the songs are so strong it really doesn’t matter. I can’t say there’s a huge progression, except maybe in the title track, which is easily one of the group’s finest songs in all of their catalog, but who cares?! This is an EP, and a great one at that. Deerhunter’s lesser works are half your average band’s strongest records, if even that. Anyway, I love the opening guitar riff to FG and the vocals are really creepy, but what stands out the most is definitely when the song “explodes” midway through after Bradford utters the classic line “you were my God in high school.” Just everything about the song is fantastic, the simple drums the contrast between mellow, calm vibes and complete chaos, violence; a great microcosm for Deerhunter as a whole. The next two tracks “Dr. Glass” and “Like New” are pretty solid and demonstrate the band’s talent as songwriters, but they are not on par with the first last and tracks. Speaking of which, “Wash Off, ” the final song is now one of my favorites from these guys. It’s a really catchy song, and the guitars sound like they are from some sort of 80s John Hughes flick: it simultaneously displays the pop side of them with the equally bizarre side of their music. In terms of lyrics, these are some of the most fascinating I’ve seen from Bradford (actually that could be said for all the songs here)- I love how it gets really manic and wild when Bradford starts singing “I was sixteen” over and over again. For whatever reason, it just makes the music seem that much more intriguing and strange for that matter. WO really showcases the Punk, Garage, if you will side to the band, which is usually there, but not as apparent. Here, Bradford, Lockett, Josh, Colin, and Moses place their Atlanta roots on their sleeves. I feel like this track perfectly captures the frenetic aspect of early Deerhunter in perhaps a bit more soothing fashion, but very tight and purposeful, and that’s the way I like it! So, now after hearing this EP, I’m kicking myself for waiting so long to actually sit down and listen to all four of these songs as one collective. Without a doubt, a sound record and as with all of Deerhunter’s releases, powerful enough to stand alone, but shares that wonderfully distinctive, calmly menacing quality that runs throughout all of Deerhunter’s discography.
Grade: 8/10
Artist: Deerhunter
Full Title: Deerhunter iTunes Live From SoHo
Year: 2011
Tracks:
1) Desire Lines- 9
2) Hazel St.- 9
3) Don’t Cry- 9/10
4) Revival- 9
5) Helicoptor- 9
6) Fountain Stairs- 9
7) Rainwater Casette Exchange- 8
8) He Would Have laughed- 9
Comments: Having seen Deerhunter three times now, I can say with certainty that this is the real deal. Of course, not the same as seeing them physically live, but I can imagine this is as close as you will get to experiencing the band live from a recording. In any case, Deerhunter is one thee finest live acts around, so when I heard they released a live performance via iTunes I jumped at the chance to hear it. This recording is a strong indicator of the group’s sets in the past year, with a heavy emphasis on their most recent release, the incredible, Halcyon Digest (2010). The show begins with the new classic “Desire Lines”- truly a perfect opener. DL is one of Deerhunter’s defining songs as a Rock and Roll band, which they undeniably are; few modern musical acts share this same presence- it must be an Atlanta thing :). Seriously though, for my money these guys tap into this sort of epic Rock and Roll band of The Rolling Stones, Who, and Led Zeppelin variety, that powerful. And absolutely DL displays this. Moses’ drumwork just gets you pumped for what will happen next and the strong, pulsing guitars complement this. Lockett Pundt’s vocals are extremely welcoming and easy on the ears, and yet they are driven by a fantastic Rock and Roll/pop song force, you can tell he and the whole band have done their homework. Overall, I prefer the studio version and the vocals are a little bit too soft for me, but it’s still a pretty solid way to get things started. What I really dig, by far one of my favorite aspects of this release is the transition from DL to “Hazel St,” from Cryptograms (2007), one of the few non-Halycon tracks. I defnitely appreciate Hazel more when the band rocks right into its catchy opening lines. This time around Bradford Cox takes care of the vocals and he does the tunes’ studio counterpart justice. It’s not a carbon copy, but if you like the studio version, you should really enjoy this one as well. In particular, the guitars stand out the most. Once again, one of my favorite parts is the transition from this song to the next (“Don’t Cry”)- easily one of my favorite from the last record and in general. This song showcases Bradford’s talent as a frontman (if he is- I think he hates being called that and I agree Deerhunter is more of a whole band experience, not just the Bradford show as some critics, fans, etc. like to think). But, without a doubt, he just has that presence to him. DC is a comforting, amazing pop song and to reiterate Deerhunter simply can pull off what most bands seem to try. We’ve seen this song before, we see it all the time in so many (weaker) bands, I feel it could be a song that U2 would fuck up. Deerhunter is a much stronger band and therefore there is far more weight to the words, the music, and the overall delivery. My favorite song from SoHo or let me rephrase that the best performance here (“Don’t Cry is my favorite in general) is definitely “Helicoptor,” a song I reall dig on record, but I feel like everything is enhanced live, as if it was meant to be heard just live. I love the beginning, another great example of how their songs build and build in anticipation. The reverb is also excellent here. Another stand out song, well this tune always stands out to me live is “Rainwater Cassette Exchange,” the other non-Halycon cut. Rainwater live sounds much different (at least to me) than the version heard on the Rainwater Cassette Exchange EP, which is always great when any band switches it up a little bit. I love the almost 80s- like drum beats and I love the little guitar hook, very danceable, I get that impression anyway. In general, that EP was always very un-Deerhunter to me, but in good way and it shows in this performance for sure. Last, but certainly not least, “He Would Have Laughed,” (in honor of our boy Jimmy Lee Lindsey or more micro-famously known as Jay Reatard) is the closer, an obvious, but no less thrilling way to conclude the set. In fact, this is also one of the few tunes I prefer over the original. I adore the sound of the drums and as a whole I think the song just works better live, much like “Helicoptor,”- it is more effective. On record HWHL is a bit long-winded, though still awesome, it starts to lose its effect toward the end. But, live the song takes a whole new character and doesn’t feel drawn out, but rather essential like every word is purposeful, even if that’s not the case. A sweet and sincere eulogy. I also find humor when Bradford sings “Ohh shut the fuck up” in such an almost apathetic voice before he sings the more expected line “shut your mouth.” All in all, I really dig SoHO and how it captures Deerhunter in concert instead of trying to mimic their studio sound like most live releases do.
Grade: 9/10
A big, KLYAM Happy Bday for what is perhaps my current favorite songwriter. I hope it’s a groovy holiday…
Chic-A-Go-Go turns 15 and kicks it off with Hunx and His Punx!
Kids Like You & Me (KLYAM) 