Deerhunter – Microcastle/Weird Era Continued
 9/10

Visceral and heart-pounding, like a rabbit being chased through sand dunes but enjoying the agonising, shit-stirring freakiness of the chase, Microcastle gets your blood pumping. It makes you feel sentimental, sway around, sing along, daze out, feel bliss. It has all the aesthetics of a ‘90s stoner/psych hits the likes of Pavement, but soars above all of that in skill, storytelling and musicianship. Not that the guitars are ultra flash or anything, but everything is swathed in reverb that sounds ultra pretty and dreamy and soundscapey. At times there is that shrill, squiggly sound you get when you kick a cheap amp repeatedly. All the songs are simple and beautiful and just the right length. Bradford Cox has really honed his abilities in this double album that’s been met with righteous – and from what I’ve read, unanimous – acclaim. Coming after Cryptograms and Fluorescent Grey, Microcastle/Weird Era Continued wins over its predecessors because it is unashamedly subtle, never straying too far from the simple, edgy, psychedelic nature that makes it so perfect. Like a wonderfully well-rounded, exploratory, creative and slightly psycho kid who refuses to grow up and get out of the sandpit, instead choosing to make sandcastles for the rest of his life. I hope Bradford Cox makes music as inventive and escapist as this for the rest of his life. Microcastle is up there with the best.
Sarah

 

Posted by Sarah Gooding under Album, Reviews
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