Deerhunter Halcyon Digest

Deerhunter have become masters of the gentle 180. They regularly take themselves in completely new directions, all the while staying completely recognizable. Maybe it’s the elegantly simple, fuzzed out guitar interplay of Bradford Cox and Lockett Pundt, maybe its Cox’s floating, ethereal falsetto or every band member’s unparalleled ability to do a lot with a little. It’s incredibly difficult to pin down, and maybe it’s that implacability that makes them great. They can record albums that are clear homages yet manage to sound brand new, but with Halcyon Digest they have ceased with the tributes and finally embraced the core of their sound, the basic influences Cox has discussed for years. 50’s and 60’s pop is fully embraced and wrapped in shoegaze fuzz, Cox’s stream of consciousness lyrics have never been better, and the always creative and locked in rhythm section of Moses Archeluta and Josh Fauver is the best it’s ever been.