Atlas Sound – Parallax (4AD)

For Bradford Cox, it appears that the line between Deerhunter and Atlas Sound is beginning to blur. At least from an accessibility standpoint, that is. There is a lot less going on than in any of the past Cox efforts as well. Still present is his Lennon reverbed vocals but the arrangements are simpler and cleaner. Almost never are more than three recording tracks sound as they are being used per song. Mellow is generally the watchword. When there are electronics, they are generally isolated and, therefore, featured like on “Te Amo,” and “Doldrums,”. “Mona Lisa,” really jumps out with its almost honky tonk piano. For the most part, there are just guitar, drum, and vocal parts with all on equal ground. Lead track “The Shakes,” and“Angel Is Broken,” really bear the sweetest fruit of this approach. The album is far more appealing to me than previous Atlas Sound records. Like Deerhunter’s debut for 4AD last year, the stellar Halcyon Digest, Paralax is my favorite in Atlas Sound’s respective catalog.

Download album track Terra Incognita