I can't think of a better songwriter out there today who I'd rather hear throw together a two-song EP in the spirit of Halloween than Bradford Cox of Atlas Sound and Deerhunter. I know I continue to give his online charity (read: blog) attention but the fact of the matter is that he dude is like a musical Santa Claus who continues to give away better music than most bands try to sell, and that's worth recognizing.
Atlas Sound's latest batch is a pair of mostly instrumentals he's titled Two Halloween Dances. Cox has always had a rather spooky undertone to his music I've always sensed some kind of supernatural presence lurking in his studio and here it comes out to haunt in full effect.
I hesitate to call "Danse Infernale" an instrumental because Cox does use vocals but refrains from lyrics and simply swishes notes around in his mouth to the casually hopping guitar-led jingle, which I could see being effective in accompanying film of a kitten attacking a ball of yarn.
"Danse Macabre" is a very modern take on the "dance of death," which uses bells and/or xylophone to accentuate the gentle strum of the guitars and a rhythm built from a spinning cycle of electronically-produced beats and sub-bass. Methinks this one may be the result of Atlas Sound's recent tour with Stereolab.
Not the scary, flipped-out shit Cox could easily muster up but two pieces with eerie charm well worth a spin today in celebration of Devil's Night while you're torching a garbage can and tomorrow, when you're robbing those bratty, overaged teens of their pillow cases full of candy corns and caramels.
Atlas Sound Two Halloween Dances
Atlas Sound's latest batch is a pair of mostly instrumentals he's titled Two Halloween Dances. Cox has always had a rather spooky undertone to his music I've always sensed some kind of supernatural presence lurking in his studio and here it comes out to haunt in full effect.
I hesitate to call "Danse Infernale" an instrumental because Cox does use vocals but refrains from lyrics and simply swishes notes around in his mouth to the casually hopping guitar-led jingle, which I could see being effective in accompanying film of a kitten attacking a ball of yarn.
"Danse Macabre" is a very modern take on the "dance of death," which uses bells and/or xylophone to accentuate the gentle strum of the guitars and a rhythm built from a spinning cycle of electronically-produced beats and sub-bass. Methinks this one may be the result of Atlas Sound's recent tour with Stereolab.
Not the scary, flipped-out shit Cox could easily muster up but two pieces with eerie charm well worth a spin today in celebration of Devil's Night while you're torching a garbage can and tomorrow, when you're robbing those bratty, overaged teens of their pillow cases full of candy corns and caramels.
Atlas Sound Two Halloween Dances