Bradford Cox Dishes On New Deerhunter Album

BY Cam LindsayPublished Feb 14, 2008

Though he's currently promoting Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See but Cannot Feel, his forthcoming solo album as Atlas Sound, Deerhunter front-man Bradford Cox has revealed some details about his band's next album, Microcastle.

"We’ve been writing our new record for the past few days… Well, the songs are already written, we’re just teaching them to each other now," Cox told Exclaim! on Tuesday (February 12). "And we’re not using any effects, so far. We actually don’t use any of that stuff anymore, believe it or not. We might use some on the record but in the rehearsals we’ve just been plugging the guitars straight into the amps."

Last year, Deerhunter received universal love for their sophomore album, Cryptograms, as well as the successor EP, Fluorescent Grey, both of which found the band smothering their psych and pop sound with heavy reverb and copious effects. Asked how he feels the next album will sound, Cox said, "Better. I don’t really like using effects that much. I like them only because sometimes you need them to get a certain desired feeling or sound, but I don’t like for a song to depend on a metal box working and having fresh batteries in it. I guess I just get tired of depending on technology. The root of the song should be there already and I think you should be able to play these songs whether you have these things or not."

As for a release date, Cox and his band-mates appear to be making an event out of Microcastle's debut. "It’s gonna be out on Halloween," he admitted. How fitting.

In other related news, The Playlist is reporting that Cox has been working in the studio with Karen O (Yeah Yeah Yeahs) and Squeak E. Clean on the soundtrack to the adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are, the film collaboration between Spike Jonze (director) and Dave Eggers (writer) expected some time next year.

Along with fellow Kranky label-mates Valet and White Rainbow, Cox will be taking his Atlas Sound show on the road in support of Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See but Cannot Feel, which hits shops this coming Tuesday (February 19).

Atlas Sound, Valet and White Rainbow in Canada:

2/27 Montreal QC - Casa del Popolo
2/28 Toronto ON - Horseshoe Tavern
3/5 Vancouver BC - Pat's Pub

Atlas Sound "River Card"

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