A different kind of animal

In order to satiate their creative pallets, many musicians engage themselves in more than one musical endeavor.

Some side projects do well; Death Cab for Cutie’s Ben Gibbard proved this with his formation of The Postal Service. However, other bands don’t; Black Francis of the Pixies attempted to put out solo albums as Frank Black and failed to capture his previous band’s magic.   

Each musical outfit is different – they often involve various musicians and concepts – but the lines between bands and side projects are often blurred, making it hard to for one band to be distinguished from another.  

Bradford Cox, the brainchild of indie, neo-shoegaze band Deerhunter took a short hiatus to focus on Atlas Sound, a poppy side project. Atlas Sound was different in that it centered on Cox’s struggle with Marfan syndrome, giving it more of an emotional appeal.

Although it may have seemed difficult for Deerhunter to reassert their identity after the success of Atlas Sound, they instead only grew stronger. This can be seen with the release of their third full-length album Microcastle.

Here, other members besides Cox get to star. The first voice on the album’s opener “Agoraphobia” is not Cox, but instead is guitarist Lockett Pundt. And bassist Josh Fauver wrote almost the entirety of “Nothing Ever Happened,” one of the best tracks on the album.
 
Microcastle is a lot darker and more polished than their previous efforts. At times, Cox’s sadness seeps into the album, giving it a melancholy tone, but the results are dreamy, poignant songs.

The overall ethereal, warm feeling of the album makes up for occasional slower, monotonous tracks like “Calvary Scars” and “Activa.” And the naked lyrics on the album allow listeners to feel more comfortable with the adversities of their own lives.

Known to defy most categories, Deerhunter prove their ability to still be accessible with Microcastle. Cox may be one of the better-known musicians of the band, but Deerhunter has rightfully asserted itself as a capable entity in the musical world.