First Impressions on Deerhunter's Halcyon Digest

--This is a bad album.  Not as bad as the Ratatat album or the Black Keys album or the Stone Temple Pilots' new one, but pretty fucking bad indeed.

--I don't like Atlas Sound, but this is worse than either Atlas Sound album.

--The songwriting here is so poor that at first it actually made me question the greatness of Cryptogram and Microcastle.  But fuck that (and, while I'm at it, "fuck you"): those albums are damn good. 

--I'm assuming that "Helicopter" is the single since the video for that song has been everywhere, which is odd considering that on an album filled with terrible songs, it just might be the worst one on here.

--The "best" song is probably "Memory Boy" but even that one's kinda gay.

--Who would have thought that Lockett would be doing the vocals on the second best song on the album ("Desire Lines")?!?!?!?

--The album ends with a tribute to Jay Reatard, which would be pretty fucking cool if the song in question didn't totally suck ass.

--God, who knows.  Maybe seeing these songs live in a couple weeks at Webster Hall will give me a better grasp on what they're trying to do here.  There just doesn't seem to be much substance.

--I really, really like Deerhunter, so this is a pretty big disappointment over here in Mudddville.  Seriously, just click on the "Deerhunter" tab to the left to see how much praise I've lavished on these guys before.

--I'm pretty hung over from last night's Liquor Store show.  Wish I had something new to listen to that would be kind of gentle and melodic, but I don't... everything from 2010 that I have but haven't listened to yet is pretty abrasive (Grinderman, The Sword, Swans, White Shit, etc.).  Fuck it, I'm going back to bed.

--BRING BACK WHITNEY!!!!

--Meh. 

Comments

[michael]

finally an honest review of this horrible album.
Cryptograms is maybe one of my favorite albums of all time, and the Flourescent Grey EP changed my life.
this album is, i hate to say for lack of a better term, GAY.
deerhunter (and atlas sound) has progressively gotten worse.
I think people are too afraid to talk shit on deerhunter because they think bradford will cry (seeing as pitchfork makes him out to be a total fragile little pussy)
pitchfork actually gave this album a 9.2 lolol. but what the hell do they know.