A Solo Deer in the Limelight

Bradford Cox of last year's lauded experimental psych-rock quintet Deerhunter has never been accused of conformity. A sufferer of Marfan syndrome — a genetic disorder of the connective tissue that gives him unnaturally long and spindly limbs — the front-man's stage performance echoes of post-modern art as much as his music. From old-maid dresses as fashion statements to deep-throating the microphone to performing acts of self-abasement in true Iggy Pop form, Cox has subscribed to the philosophy of rock as spectator sport with his shock-worthy show aesthetics.

Despite his loud personality, his distinctive sound has had a more shaking reverberation within the blogosphere. Deerhunter — and Cox — are no gimmick or sideshow stop on the road to prog-pop paradise (I think it's somewhere in Seattle) as was proven by their May 2007 Fluorescent Grey EP. A follow-up to February 2007's Cryptograms, the EP glows as their tightest, most focused endeavor to date while still harboring the echoing, exploratory drone that has become a trademark tone. Where Cryptograms was impeded by an immature feel bred by an obsession with the unconventional — an obsession that resulted in the release resembling mundanity — Fluorescent Grey gained a grounded-sound from those growing pains with its attention to melody and structure instead of layering and pretentious guitar loops. And while some of the transformation has to be credited to Kranky — one of the mixing masterminds behind Montreal's God Speed You Black Emperor who helped out on the disc — it is apparent that Cox takes his music much more seriously than his Victorian party frocks may suggest. So it's not surprising that Cox ditched the drummer all together and decided to march completely to his own tune with his life-long solo project Atlas Sound.

Atlas Sound's first full-length release, Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See but Cannot Feel, picks up where the Fluorescent Grey EP leaves off. Leaning more towards ambience-induced-soundscapes, the Feb. 19 release abandons the grunge undertones that Cox endorsed earlier in his career. Just because he is currently flirting with a composed sound does not mean that Cox is trying to cozy up to the mainstream. From the opening track, "Ghost Story," featuring the voice of a small boy haltingly retelling a story over the disjointed hum of a sampled glockenspiel, to the wordless closing title-track, Let the Blind betrays that the avant-garde is still Cox's preferred bed-partner. The only cut that even closely resembles an A-side is "River Card." But even its catchy drums and ethereal harps cannot mask the ominous, amphibious whisperings.

Unlike the Fluorescent Grey EP, many tracks lack lyrics, and those that are ornamented with Cox's Meredith Monk-esque vocal experimentation loop the same couple of lines - increasing the trancelike tone of the album as a whole. The simplicity of the songs' structures adds a sense of plaintive honesty and intimacy, allowing this record to succeed where Cryptograms failed. On "After Class," Cox commands, "Strip down, strip down" — which is exactly what he did on his solo endeavor. He stripped away ostentatious instrumentation, superfluous swells and eight-minute sprawling tracks to reveal a record that is as exceedingly experimental as it is nakedly simple.

While he has been recording under the moniker Atlas Sound since the sixth grade, Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See but Cannot Feel not only showcases Cox's transformation into indie-icon, but it will also force the hot-spot Georgia scene to open its mind large enough to accept the musician's uncommon appearance and even more unique sound.

"River Card" Atlas Sound
"After Class" Atlas Sound

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