Bradford Bonanza
If it wasn’t clear already, we’re pretty big fans of Atlas Sound around these parts. Enough has been said about the shaking shimmery wonder of Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel, but it’s worth noting the barrage of demos, EPs, remixes, side projects and custom mixes that lead man and Deerhunter guy Bradford Cox has unleashed on his blog recently.
While not quite sinking to Ryan Adams-level spewage, Cox has let the leaks run a bit rampant; so far there’s been at least four demo CD-R rips, two unreleased EPs, three remixes, two cover tracks and 14 eclectic “micromixes” from Bradley-as-selector. The quality, as expected with such a wealth of material, dips and peaks, but there are a lot of great moments here. I recommended checking it all out (it’s free, after all!) but as an initial primer, check these out:
- Atlas Sound, Orange Ohms Glow EP: capital P pretty, with some twinkly instrumentals settling around the two centerpiece acoustic n’ tamborine drowsers “Activation” and “Hunting Quail.”
- Ghetto Cross “Dog Years”: a scuzzy, faux-girl group stomp from Bradford’s side band with The Black Lips’ Cole Alexander.
- Atlas Sound “Cloves”: self-described “postGRUNGE death trip.” Apparently it’s “about discomfort and terror.” Nothing more to say, really.
- Atlas Sound “Oh, It’s Such a Shame”: cover of a highlight (among many) from Jay Reatard’s (fucking amazing) Blood Visions. This cover is mixed WAY into the red, so as a heads up, TURN IT DOWN.
Exquisite work, Alex! I like the concept of you surfing the net (especially the occasionally icky Deerhunter blog) so we don’t have to. Thanks!
that bradford guy is uber-annoying.
met him once, and he was so damn pretentious.
would never buy anything he’s associated with.
You’re missing out, Jared. Atlas Sound and Deerhunter are v. good. If you refused to buy discs (or any art, for that matter) from artists who are jackasses, you’d be severely limiting your choices. Obv., I draw the line somewhere, too, but not at that point. What did he do that was so bad?
Thanks Purdy! Yeah, it can get a bit dodgy over there, but sometimes it’s worth it…
Dude, you should read 17 Dots. It’s this cool blog, you’d like it.
Okay, I’ll stop busting your chops now, but I WILL take a bow – I mentioned Bradford’s blog in my comment on the February 19 “Super Tuesday” entry. I said that it’s “head-slappingly good, starting with its Jean Genet epigram: ‘To achieve harmony in bad taste is the height of elegance.’”
I’m delighted that you’ve mentioned it again. I’d just hate to think that there’s anyone who’s missed out on this amazing stuff for the past 2 weeks. Seriously, we should bring it up EVERY 2 weeks.
You mentioned the music, which is why I went there. I’m not bothered by the uneven quality of the recordings he’s posted there — where do you find any quantity of music that’s NOT uneven? Or food or oil changing? It’s the nature of things.
And in support of Mr. Esq’s observation, jacakssitude extends far, far beyond artists, to doctors, pet groomers, politicians (sorry for the lamely obvious example), every driver who’s not me, and on and on.
In fact, I can’t begin to imagine my fate if my WIFE decided she needed to avoid jackasses.
What I was starting to say is that music is only one of the reasons I visit the blog. I really love the stories there, including the one that I quoted in the comment linked above. Truly tender, heartbreaking stuff. While the “look, I’m touring” photos are kind of cute, there’s some really pretty photography, fun drawings, and lots o’ lyrics, a special treat in the paperless world of emu.
(BTW, Leo’s Lyric Database is a fantastic resource for indie music.)
Anyway, Bradford’s blog is a small miracle.
And a big honkin’ pile of fine free music. Gotta love it.