A Beginner’s Guide To… Deerhunter

WHO THEY ARE
Deerhunter are a four piece indie rock band from Atlanta, Georgia. Although hailing from the Southern states, nothing about this band sounds influenced from the region. Instead it’s a mix of 60’s pop, ambient and pure indie rock that sounds as if it was cultivated from another world, let alone another country. The line up has changed slightly over the years and has suffered the loss of original bassist Justin Bosworth, but currently consists of guitarist Lockett Pundt, drummer Moses Archuleta, bassist Josh Fauver and frontman Bradford Cox. The group have released five albums beginning with 2005’s Turn It Up Faggot including Cryptograms (2007), Microcastle (2008), Weird Era Cont. (2008) and their most recent release, Halcyon Digest (2010).

WHY YOU SHOULD LOVE THEM
Deerhunter effortlessly combine elements of shoegaze, art rock and post punk to create something that is both ambient and chaotic but infused with a ethereal vibe resulting in a vast and dreamy musical landscape. Cox; a sufferer of Marfan’s Syndrome and a self proclaimed asexual, croons over the bands intricately layered harmonies to create a sound that is neither self-pitying or whiny, but reeks of the beauty of loneliness, self imposed alienation and isolation. The group has covered a wide range of music over their career from the more punk roots of Turn it Up Faggot to the blissful psychadelia of Cryptogram and finally the pop influenced indie rock classic Halycon Digest. Cox’s stream of conscious lyrics are simple and often observational, but accurately describe the range of emotions that come with just being alive. The enigmatic frontman has broadened his horizons beyond Deerhunter by developing several releases with side project Atlas Sounds and guitarist Lockett Pundt has recently released his second album Spooky Action at a Distance to high critical acclaim with solo project Lotus Plaza.

THEIR BEST ALBUM
While all five albums are incredible, Deerhunter is a rare band that has managed to become better and more refined with each release. Every Deerhunter fan has their own personal favourite but for us it’s a toss up between 2007’s classic Cryptograms, an album where they really began to cultivate their unique sound with more pop influences and 2010’s Halycon Digest, an epic album that is a complete journey of Cox’s musings on mortality and life clearly influenced by the passing of the band’s friend, musician Jay Reatard.

OUR FIVE FAVORITE SONGS
Oceans