Parallax

Atlas Sound’s new creative stage

Bradford Cox’ solo project Atlas Sound was formed and launched as an alternative to his band Deerhunter. Obviously, Bradford could not realize all his ideas with that group, and that is why the artist decided to try to express himself in a solo career as well. However the musician did not even think about leaving the band – he is still the frontman of Deerhunter. And somehow Cox still has enough time and strength to play properly in Deerhunter and to enjoy the creative process in his solo project. Thus, he released the debut album called Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See but Cannot Feel in 2008, and it made a huge impression on the music lovers. A year later it was followed by not less fascinating and catchy Logos, and it is worth mentioning that both records proved to be critically acclaimed. It is interesting that the musician managed to create such strong and complete long plays within such a short period of time. Moreover, his works made a real furor in the community of independent rock music lovers. Bradford remained faithful to his unique style and he enlarged his discography with a brand new long play titled Parallax in 2011. Permanent guitars, mysterious atmosphere and a little bit careless vocals are waiting for the listeners.

Parallax' mysterious world

Music lovers’ acquaintance with this record will start with the composition The Shakes. This is a mid-tempo track, which sound strongly reminds of the British indie-rock, with its well-known features, such as sluggishness and laziness. Cox’ voice stays in the front line, but it feels that it is coming from distance – the echo effect definitely adds some charm. The following composition, Amplifiers, is a continuation of The Shake ideas, so it also brings the calm tempo and manner of singing. In general the record is done in that very key: the spacey tracks create an amazing atmosphere. The long play’s title song Parallax, for example, is a perfect example of that. Sometimes it feels that the sound is actually viscous and that it can be touched. Just make sure to check the unusual track Doldrums! However the album had enough room for major songs, and the bright composition Mona Lisa is one of them. Arrangements are definitely of the highest level, and often they are quite contrast: minimalism and the rich variety of sounds exist on the album in a harmony. And sometimes the artist can easily change the mood of a composition even without a single song.

And again – the success

Well, there is no doubt that the project Atlas Sound turned out to be distinctive indeed. And it is clear why Bradford Cox could not realize all his ideas in Deerhunter creativity: things that he shares with listeners via his solo career songs are quite personal. The singer’s thoughts, experiences and hopes found place among melodies of acoustic guitar. However these melodies are often lost between noises of non-musical origin, which are the basic and important parts of famous mysterious atmosphere of Atlas Sound. The album Parallax, just like its two predecessors, is created in the artist’s unique style, so it will be impossible to mix it up with someone else’s music. Elaborated networks of instruments, various sounds, melodies and Bradford’s a bit careless vocals – all these stand for the signature style of Atlas Sound. Probably Parallax can be called a logical continuation of Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See but Cannot Feel and Logos. But logic is a limited notion, when we speak about Atlas Sound.