Atlas Sound: Parallax - Album Review

Atlas Sound
Parallax
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

I hate this time of year, mainly because there is a dearth of new releases at the beginning of the year, and I am usually scrounging around looking for something to review. So, I am going back and reviewing some albums that either came out too late to really include in the end of the year posts, or albums that initially left me lukewarm, but have grown on me. Case in point, the current album from Deerhunter's Bradford Cox's side project Atlas Sound, Parallax. It has been in my playlist for a long time, and I have always enjoyed it, but it never really stayed with me afterwards. Atlas Sound used to be Bradford's more ambient/electronic, experimental outlet outside his work with Deerhunter. Over the past few years though, as Deerhunter's sound and aesthetic have changed from being abrasive and off putting to being practically refined and genteel, Atlas Sound's sound has adapted as well. Parallax is a collection of mostly guitar based pop songs, drawing from pop and rock from many different eras, from the 50s onward. As a result of this new glossy sound and production, the project looses some of its distinctiveness, however, it shows what a strong and focused songwriter Bradford has become.

The shock comes from gorgeous tracks like "Mona Lisa" which is likely the most shimmering pop tune he has ever created. His voice, reverbed and distant, a nice contrast to the jaunty beat and pianos.



"My Angel Is Broken" is a lonely, guitar driven travelogue. You can smell the miles of dirt and grime.



"Terra Incognita" is held close the vest, his voice a near whisper, over gentle, interlocking acoustic guitars.



"Lightworks" takes a stuttering, modern beat, then overlays 50s reverb heavy guitars over it, for a nice contrast.



Although there is a more refined sensibility at play here, there is still a streak of experimentation going on, which keeps the album fresh and new. "Te Amo" features lots of interplay between keyboard melodies and background atmospherics, and has a particularly striking vocal turn from Cox.



"Praying Man" has a dusty, echoing quality, that is the perfect update to 50s pop songs.



"Doldrum" hearkens back to earlier Atlas Sound, a lovely ambient track full of treated pianos and lonely vocals. Title track "Parallax" again takes the reverb guitar and places it over dense electronics.



There is still a disconnect for me with the album as a whole. A lot of the tracks drift in and out of each other, sounding more like a compilation of tracks rather than a cohesive work. Despite this, Parallax works rather well, and is always haunting the outside reaches of my mind. It will be interesting to see where Cox takes this sound next. Based on this and his current work with Deerhunter, it appears to be on a collision course.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.