Tomorrow, Deerhunter’s monolithic double disc Microcastle/Weird Era Cont. drops courtesy of Kranky or 4AD, depending on where you live. Yes, it leaked, and we all greedily took. We all witnessed the Lord of the Flies-esque free-for-all, and the subsequent fallout from the blog debacle – in addition to the rueful behavior of the fallible, sinful collective of scalawags and pirates known as your peers and neighbors. And after the dust settled, we all found out that Deerhunter had recorded an incredible collection of music.

So don’t be a jerk, go buy it tomorrow. I’m for serious. I’ll be purchasing it, making good on my word back when the album(s) leaked. Also, for next Tuesday, go vote. It’s your civic duty. And lest we forget that in four Tuesdays, you need to pick up the new GnR concept album about riding bikes and how rad Times New Roman font is, as well as the subsequent free can of Doc Pepper. I’m getting two free Dr. Peppers since I agreed to braid Axl’s hair next time he’s in town. Snarf. So there, your Tuesdays are booked, bro. KTHNXBYE!

MP3 :::
Deerhunter – VHS Dream

Like me with this site’s design and layout, Deerhunter likes to tweak and change and constantly alter the forthcoming Microcastle/Weird Era Cont cover. The original, found here, will still be displayed on the domestic Kranky vinyl release, though. There’s also this one floating around that appears as the proper art via iTunes. So… what do you think?

I think it’s awesome – it’s like Belle and Sebastian gone metal. And as you might note on my FaCeBoOk, “skulls” are one of my many refined interests, so obviously I support all album covers that prominently feature skulls and various dome relics.

M/WEC is out everywhere in all formats, and wants to be in your library, on October 28, thanks to Kranky in the U.S. and 4AD in the UK.

MP3 :::
Deerhunter – Focus Group

**For maximum effect, please read the opening paragraph with the inflection of a radio theater narrator circa 1955 or so**

When we last left our heroes, Kenny Bloggins and friends were destroying the paradigm of lame and old hat record reviews with a critique of Microcastle in real-time, before your very eyes. After careful consideration and a positive response from readers, the real-time review is back for another go with Weird Era Cont. Keep your dial locked to this station for keen adventure that can only be described as 23 skidoo! For you listening at home, feel free to follow our friends’ frolic on Last.fm.

Alliteration, mashing play, most triumphant…

“Backspace Century” (2:18) – Paging Brothers Reid! Deerhunter channels the Jesus and Mary Chain better than they could channel themselves post-Darklands. The vocals are distant, dark, and fluttering, like Alan Vega from Suicide minus the shaman-like yips. This is the most Cryptograms-like of the new material.

“Operation” (4:04) – This is the only song I dislike so far from the M/WEC camp (I have decreed that this shall be the alphanumeric abreeeev for Microcastle/Weird Era Cont. and it’s pronounced “em-weck”). It’s too Television-ish for me. I like Television, mind you, but I don’t want that from Deerhunter. I want Deerhunter from Deerhunter. I think that’s fair.

“Ghost Outfit” (0:32) – What do you know about the pole shift hypothesis? This is more or less Art Bell territory of course, but it has scientific merit as well. According to recent studies, the Earth rebalanced itself some 800 million years ago to the effect of 50 degrees within a few million years. One apocalyptic scenario entertained, but not scientifically viable, is the notion of a physical shift of the poles and alteration of the Earth’s axis of rotation in a short (i.e. a year) period of time. This would be a particularly gnarly “End of Time is Nigh” event. If that happened, it might sound like this. Fingers crossed, kids.

“Dot Gain” (3:18) – Whereas Jim James’ reverberated vocals come courtesy of hangin’ tough in a grain silo in Shelbyville, Kentucky, BC purposely trips and falls down a deep well nestled in frozen tundra, for the sole purpose of singing out of it for “Dot Gain.” Deerhunter is more majestic than the Cocteau Twins. Which reminds me, as much as I love Kranky, Deerhunter is a 4AD band. 4AD in the early ’90s was A+.

“Vox Celeste” (3:31) – Oh shit. Kevin… hey Kevin.

Whas hattin’, KS. Not much man, just chillaxin’ if ya heaaaard. Listen dude, MBV needs to get back in the muh’fucking’ studio quick because Deerhunter is all up on your shit. But, like, they’re not ripping you off. It’s something else entirely. It’s like a really dirty, art-damaged Loveless, but a really robust, orchestral Isn’t Anything. They might have just become the best shoegaze band on the planet. Go git yer crown back, maaaang. Time is money and money is studio knob-tweakin’ time. Alan McGee ain’t gon’ give you shit if you don’t smoke those fools. Go!

“Cicadas” (2:30) – Deerhunter plays jazz hands. Add this droner to the sunny side of noise a la Black Dice, Religious Knives, Mindflayer, Experimental Audio Research, Four Tet’s weirder stuff, etc. Absolutely gorgeous. The soundtrack to a sunrise over a forest fire. I wish the song was longer. I mashed play on this a couple of times, but exhausted my multiple plays joke in the Microcastle review.

“Vox Humana” (2:32) – This would be just some nice twilight pop if BC was more on the singin’ tip than the spoken word throat duty. Deerhunter is continuing to try to frighten you on this record, which is fine as Microcastle brings the warmth and assurance. I’m always a fan of the classic Beach Boys drum intro.

“VHS Dream” (2:33) – Fuck the No Age comparisons, Deerhunter just became an honorary shoegazer band, factory-certified. Treat them as such, and watch out for their co-headline with Slowdive. Concerning this particular wall of sound lament, the melodic minor composition is so effective (contrasted against the majority of M/WEC) that “VHS Dream” becomes a startlingly destructive dirge – an unsettling cadence that ventures over into Swans latitudes. Prolific.

“Focus Group” (2:49) – I’m getting tired of this album being amazing. “Focus Group” is anthemic and innocently magnificent. Nothing more, nothing less. Wish I had deeper thoughts on this matter. But I don’t. Whatever. Go read Pitchfork, clean your room.

“Slow Swords” (3:25) – Sheeeeit. You know how I keep very loosely comparing Deerhunter to kraut rock superstars whenever I write about them? Well they finally up and did it, and vindicated me as a prophet. “Slow Swords” is crunk as shit and is STRAIGHT UP FAUST’s THE FAUST TAPES. This ditty flushes around some choice analog tape loops, which is the right way to do it. Very want. I’m rather stoked that Deerhunter’s popularity will help expose groups like Faust to all the Clap Your Hands Say Yeah retards.

To interject here, BC stated in his blog that he wanted MC/WEC to be a fall/winter record. Microcastle is very sunny, in many respects. However, this song, and a lot of WEC is rather autumnal, so I’ll grant him some serious October stereophonic decimation.

“Weird Era” (2:39) – Merzbow in the hooooouse! Snarf!

“Moon Witch Cartridge” (1:31) – This rippin’ instrumental interlude showcases some serious space pad love for Esquivel, Broadcast and, subsequently, the United States of America (the band, not the UN-recognized sovereign nation). It has a library music feel as well, so if you’re hip to this Atomic Age joint, go peep out Ghost Box and get shattered.

See the last sentence of “Cicadas” for additional thoughts on this particular chanty.

“Calvary Scars II / Aux Out” (10:11) – Let it be said here that Bradford Cox has a fuckin’ aces falsetto. We’ve never really heard it like this before, so look for it about a minute into the song. This epic is nothing less than amazing chamber pop. If the Arcade Fire were more gutter punk than art school student, “Calvary Scars II” would be the outcome. Once again, Deerhunter exists in this strange chasm between fuzzy sludge and krautrock. Though they don’t sound like Neu or Faust, per se (except for “Slow Swords” perhaps), “Calvary Scars II” and “Nothing Ever Happens” from Microcastle are fiercely motorik. If you were fighting in a medieval battle, but rode high on unicorns instead of steeds and bested your opponent with candycanes versus lances, 4:03 – 7:31 of “Aux Out” is the best battle cry you could have. This track could also act as triumphant shag music (it is Deerhunter’s deontologial duty to please that booty). Shit is crucial.

NICE ambient zone out at the end. It concludes with a fluid, twinkly drone examination not too far from early Sigur Ros, Growing, or minimalist William Basinski. Dynamic.

I like Cryptograms a lot. I sorta like Flourescent Gray. But goddamn, I did not expect Deerhunter to slay me. Twice! I’ve been twice slain! Microcastle in conjunction with Weird Era Cont. is one of the most significant, important releases of this decade, hands down. Neither one is better than the other – they’re one sick unit.

And I now take umbrage with the idea that an album is either pop or experimental. Though I’d like to think that the Beatles’ last four albums debunked that myth, the label-happy world of the blogosphere has again segregated these term, shall we say, “terms” when reviewing music. It’s lazy journalism. Weird Era Cont. is a flawless example of toying with pop structures and creating a soundscape that’s both catchy and mind-melting. You can hum along or you can rip the bong. Each is equally appropriate, and Deerhunter does this with an increasingly recherche panache.

I’m hesitant to post MP3s since these came from the accidental leak and, perhaps, may be unfinished. They sound mastered to me, and I’ve produced music before. So if anyone associated with Deerhunter wants these songs removed, I will certainly do so. But please understand that I’m a serious advocate for this record, and I exalt that shit on high. Not only will I be buying this record when it’s released, but I will be buying this album multiple times as Christmas gifts for friends as well. I did this for Aegatis Byrjun when it came out back in ‘01, and I think album is easily on that level. I have nothing but praise for the unequivocally beauty that has amassed in this two hour exercise in deep earth exploration and psychedelic pop craftsmanship. I hold Bradford Cox just a couple of clicks below Desmond Tutu in terms of the most important people currently living. I unwittingly use a lot of communist-style colloquialisms when describing Deerhunter now (i.e. “most glorious”). It’s insane. The Decibel Tolls is now officially the most rabid superdelegate for Bradford and friends.

Fagen-Becker Rating for Psychedelic Quality:

MP3 :::
Deerhunter – Cicadas
Deerhunter – VHS Dream
Deerhunter – Vox Celeste

Inspired by the Deerhunter blog debacle that unfurled before everyone’s eyes in real time last week, I’d like to review the new Deerhunter stereophonic delight Microcastle also in real time. Microcastle is available now on iTunes, and will be realized in the third dimension on October 28, courtesy of the smartest people alive – Kranky Records. Mashin’ play…

“Intro” (1:21) – I was hoping for a fun sketch or the like – ya know, somethin’ similar to the opener “Recognize” off of Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s Nigga Please. But no, this intro serves as a prophecy that Microcastle might be… egad, indie pop (as Fluorescent Grey was sorta suggesting). I hope not. There are pretty cool, fleeting, subterranean samples floating in and out of this instrumental though, so maybe we’re in the green.

“Agorphobia” (3:22) – The song begins with a Terror Twilight vibe. Catchy, decidedly sloppy, and vastly different than Cryptograms. This is Microcastle’s “Strange Lights.” BC wasn’t kidding about the whole “I wanna play around with pop hooks” nonsense he was writing on the Deerhuntertheband dot Blogspot dot com biz.

“Never Stops” (3:04) – Probably the most familiar song to people who, for whatever reason, spend time reading music blogs. Great pop melodies again. Luckily, what keeps this from being bumped at prom is the very distorted, distant guitars that sound like they were recorded from an AM broadcast then overdubbed. Very cool tone, and it keeps the track disorienting.

“Little Kids” (4:22) – All doubt about Microcastle was just crushed. “Little Kids” is utterly celestial. Pure, unadulterated, radiating joy. My favorite songs tend to start simplistically and all pianissimo, then rise in emotion (and guitar tracks) to the point of critical mass and fucking explode. This song begins as a tremolo-saturated, cutesy, high octave guitar riff not out of place on Siamese Dream. BC comes in with increasingly harmonic vocals, panning in and out of the headphone tech. Then at 1:47, low-rumbing fuzz guitars come in heavy and we’re all in big trouble. The band is exponentially growing like that plant in Little Shop of Horrors. Unequivocally, beautifully bombastic.

Look, it’s like this:
Gustav Mahler’s Seventh Symphony in, I believe, the third movement ends with a quintuple fortissimo crescendo (fffff) – horrendously loud. And that’s pussy shit to Deerhunter.

At 3:36, Bradford and Friends are clipping the shit out of their soundboard, because they can. Nothing but white noise – so loud that it doesn’t exist. “Little Kids” is the best shoegazing song that is not actually shoegazing I’ve ever heard. I’m smitten with the shitton of tambourine, too. Gonna listen to this again.

“Little Kids” (4:22) – My volume knob is now at the 4 o’ clock position, ready for “Little Kids” to provoke collateral damage again. This is going to hurt.

“Little Kids” (4:22) – I have that same feeling I had when I heard Animal Collective’s Strawberry Jam insofar as thinking “yeah, this is decent enough.” Then “Winter Winter Wonderland” came on and my brain turned into a cottoball. The timbre of the shimmering vocals, along with the frighteningly fluctuating bass line, is retardedly enchanting and gorgeous. But this song is also so brutal that I feel dirty, and the shower won’t wash it off. Don’t trip over the shattered guitar chords strewn about the room. Hitting the back button again.

“Little Kids” (4:22) – “To get older still, to get oooolduhhh stillllllll”

“Little Kids” (4:22) – FUUUUuuuucccck

“Little Kids” (4:22) – Hyp. Notic.

“Little Kids” (4:22) –

“Little Kids” (4:22) – I need to move on or I’ll never finish this.

“Microcastle” (3:40) – The title track brings you back down and provides the sharpest turn in the album yet. Sparse guitar chords, reverberated vocals, and not much else. The song evokes a slow ’60s ballad feeling for the vast majority of the movement. Then a sudden, quick distortion burst that Mogwai would do just to fuck with you.

“Calvary Scars” (1:37) – This is not an interlude. Clearly drawing a line in the sand between this album and the sophomore effort again, whereas Cryptograms would’ve taken this chance to do some drone examinations and zone-out time, “Calvary Scars” is a fully sweeping song replete with Spanish guitar, bells, piano, and phased vocals. Kinda folky. Kinda elegiac. Kinda awesome.

“Activa” (1:49) – Seamlessly continuing the mood from “Calvary Scars,” “Activa” takes full advantage of the space available around it. Super haunting, like “A Ghost Story” from the Atlas Sound record.

“Nothing Ever Happened” (5:50) – Second best track on the album. Mid-tempo, cosmic, triumphant kraut rock groove with an almost psych-punk punch straight outta 1992. The guitar fuzz is so enveloping, I feel like I’m listening to fleece. Was that simile stupid? Regardless, Bradford Cox is slaying me with the mechanical, calculated, trenchant bridge. Transient.

If Lightning Bolt were a pop band with vocals, they would sound like this song, at least in tone and crazed composition. The closing 2/3 of the song is so focused, bouncy and driving that it makes your eyes dart. It’s one of the few times you’ll hear a psych-influenced garagey band really jam out, but with total restraint (sorta like moments on Murray Street) and absolutely NO aimless an/or stupid guitar noodling. Comparing this to Can would be a stretch, but there’s some old lore that suggests that Can, when performing live, could focus their energy and precision so sharply that audience members would actually vomit. Supposedly this is true, and this song proves that Deerhunter also has this power.

“Saved By Old Times” (3:30) – Blues? Really? Well, not really blues. But a swingin’ guitar riff dominates this song’s initial sonic milieu. Coupled with reverb-soaked vocals, fans of The Tower Recordings and MV & EE will be stoked. The track takes a well-executed, feathered change in direction as the band returns to the repetitive guitar noddling and krautish driving rhythm that defines Fluorescent Gray’s title track.

“Neither of Us, Uncertainly” (5:25) – Despite the ominous structure, BC’s still comin’ correct on this whole ’60s vocal pop thing that, I think, gives Microcastle a very, very unusual sound.

“Twilight at Carbon Lake” (4:24) – This is the most traditionally “psychedelic rock” sounding song on the album, with all the normal fixins in tow – reversed loops, rapid-fader effect-laden vocals. Flood gates are opened and Gabriel sounds his trumpet at just the right now. The kickdrum and snare hit brutally in unison, rides crash, and Big Muff gain is ridin’ high. This is the sound The Helio Sequence has been trying to score for a long time. A better version of the title track, “Twilight at Carbon Lake” is a lovely little apocalyptic ending to an album that isn’t as much of a joyride as it is a journey.

Overall, this is a better album than Cryptograms, which I was not expecting despite being a huge Deerhunter fan. In many ways, it’s more accessible, as there’s a more defined pop-focus throughout. But in other ways, it’s not as accessible. You can turn on Cryptograms and sink in your comfy chair and let time pass. Microcastle creaks and twists, turns sharply almost every other song, and runs a serious exercise in experiments between soft and loud. It’s a fuckin’ shapeshifter. Microcastle progressively becomes a more remarkable album, as well. While the first three songs sound like a weirded-up indie rock band, “Little Kids” violently thrusts Microcastle into the Van Allen Belt. The results are sick.

Coming next time — Weird Era Cont. review, which won’t be in real time. But I am currently listening to it. It, too, is pretty phenomenal. More on that later. Protip: Weird Era Cont. is not the ying to Microcastle’s yang. Both are equally pop, equally experimental, and completely complementary, though Deerhunter will play with genres on Weird Era Cont. like you play with Legos. Look for that tomorrow or so.

This is only the third time in this calendar year that an album burned by temporal lobe to the ground. The first was when I finally gripped the Left Banke anthology and when I was subjected to the Cloudland Canyon jam hive.

Fagen-Becker Rating for Psychedelic Quality:

MP3 :::
Deerhunter – Little Kids
Deerhunter – Nothing Ever Happened

I’m going to bat for Bradford and pals. Deerhunter has been good to us. On their blog, bandleader Bradford Cox is pretty great about providing new songs and sneak peeks of forthcoming material. While posting a link to the new Atlas Sound single, via Mediafire, Bradford unwittingly provided a public portal to all of his uploaded material, including two not-yet-released albums, unfinished demos, and the famous Deerhunter “micromixes.” In essence, his diary was discovered. As you can imagine, a free-for-all ensued. Old dude made it over to the At Ease Message Boards and posted all the files. Do you think Captain Yorke and the boys would approve of this, brah?! I’m a blogger too and all, but I’m sorry guys, that was a bitch move on your part, indie dorks. For shame.

This is not nice stuff to hear from one of the few new bands that doesn’t suck:

“It’s stuff like this that made Jeff Mangum stop Neutral Milk Hotel.”

“If you have no respect for my privacy I will no longer be giving music away on this blog… The biggest irony is that those who distribute my demos and unreleased material are stealing from me when I was trying to give away something else for free.”

“I have no idea what people want me to do. I’m not trying to be a cunt to anyone. I will finish the fucking album and stop bitching. I honestly really truly do not want attention from this. Sincerely. I wish none of this shit would have happened. I was just trying to give away another virtual 7″. Now everyone that reads this thing is going to think i’m a fucking lunatic. I just have nothing to do. I guess I’ll go clean my room.”

One of the “discovered” files was a surprise second album to be released with Microcastle called Weird Era Cont. – theorized, for obvious reasons, to be the more noise-oriented, old school Deerhunter response to all of the seemingly poppy new songs. That idea was pretty much stymied. However, most egregious was the leaking of unfinished demos. Something that people who aren’t, or haven’t been, in bands before don’t often understand is that there’s nothing more violating than seeing an unfinished product being heard outside the band and their circle of trust. Though rabid fans will like just about anything you do, no artist wants anyone to hear something that he or she isn’t 100% satisfied with. That’s a cardinal principle. So yeah, I don’t think you’re a lunatic, BC. I think you’re completely justified in being livid.

Stereogum is bringin’ the hate on BC, which I don’t understand. He’s an artist who embraces the Internet fully, constantly giving fans the jump on new material, talks with everyone all entertaining-style on his consistently interesting blog, makes public disses on the Vampire Weekend assclowns just how I like, and always gives you fun interviews to read. The man was trying to post his new 7″ as a convenient download – totally swell thing to do (as he mentioned above)! And this is what he got! Though it was his mistake, I just don’t find this to be an overreaction, especially considering that Bradford (and company) was cool enough to include a free surprise for everyone who purchased Microcastle in lieu of the leak, and not to mention the band’s general generosity toward giving away free jams. This was their property. And you, Gumguys, have the audacity to make fun of him? I know that you have this nice little concluding paragraph saying “all right guys, cut it out,” but anyone with a little perception can see you mocking him, trying to cutely analyze this as an exercise in the five stages of acceptance. And then you re-published his emotionally-based replies to sensationalize the article and make him look like he was acting unreasonable when he wasn’t. Fuck you, Stereogum. Go wank to the new Bloc Party cut or whatever. Mouthbreathers, the lot of ya. I hate music blogs.

Sorry to be all dad-like and call you kids out on your bullshit. Whatever. I’m gonna clean my room, too.

One quick note. The “secret” album, in some ways, wasn’t super secret, as you can see the title in the bottom right-hand corner of the cover art. Regardless, what they were at least aiming to do was pretty rad. Though nothing is as it seems with Deerhunter, so maybe this whole thing was orchestrated all along (but I doubt that):

Yep, thar it is!

UPDATE! ACHTUNG! Looks like D-Hunter’s taking the high road, mixin’ up some lemonade, saying “fuck it,” and is offering the entire Microcastle album for download on iTunes.

Alright… and finally, worth quoting more than the ol’ blog issue is Bradford’s very astute assessments on the My Bloody Valentine assault that is set to occur here in Chicago in… lemme check… one month and eight days. Total damage. Judging solely on the thoughts he publishes and the music he digs, I think I like Bradford. Seems like my kind of dude.

1. Debbie Googe is a badass.

2. Is the cathartic noise-burst at the end (which you’ve all probably read or heard about or perhaps even experienced firsthand) really cathartic since we all know its coming. Does this reduce its impact?

3. My Bloody Valentine are a folk band. Their music transfers experience in broad, ambiguous terms utilizing simple chords and melodies.

4. The sound guy (who also does sound for Mogwai) deserves some kind of huge reward for being a brilliant sonic architect.

5. This is not a point of debate but an observation: During the final 20 minute nihilist noise assault I went from excited to tense to happy to sort of depressed to feeling ill to feeling absolutely nothing. It is the closest I have come to complete meditation or a hypnotic state in a long time. I actually did not think at all for about five minutes.

6. Moses noted that “Belinda had the same facial expression when she was staring at the ground playing guitar that a elementary school teacher has when operating a photocopier.”

7. Whitney who has never heard of MBV and was dragged to the show by the rest of us looked up to me at one point and silently mouthed the words “what the fuuuuuck” to me. She also smiled a lot before her fucking face melted off.

MP3 :::
Deerhunter – Never Stops
Deerhunter – Neither of Us, Uncertainly
(Neither song is from this weekend’s leaks, and you will respectfully NOT find any of that here)