Deerhunter: Microcastle

Label: Kranky

In a way, we’re really naming Bradford Cox Artist of the Year, because the mad genius behind Deerhunter in effect pulled off a hat trick – three great albums in one year. After all, 2008 began with his brilliant, mind-blowing Atlas Sound side project. Then came Microcastle, the follow-up to last year’s breakthrough Cryptograms. And what did Cox do as a response to the album’s earlier leak on the Internet? He threw in a full-length bonus disc, Weird Era, which was every bit as good as Microcastle. Now that’s dedication. And then there’s the music. We loved Cryptograms and its raw, fuzzed-out noise rock, but Microcastle/Weird Era is a stronger, leaner effort, as bold and imaginative as Deerhunter’s finest work but with a more expansive musical pallette, with nods to garage, post-punk and lo-fi indie rock. We hate to use that dreaded word “accessible,” but there’s no denying that Deerhunter’s newfound pop sensibility and straightforward rockers (thanks to some new band members and guest appearances) will broaden the group’s audience. But there’s no studio slickness here; the spirit of ‘60s experimentalism very much dominates Deerhunter’s sound and aesthetic, with moments of paisley pop, acid folk and lush, dreamlike ballads filling these two wonderful, memorable discs. So hats off to Cox and Deerhunter for giving us more great music in one year than most bands can manage in a career. (Please note: the vinyl version only contains Microcastle.)