Atlas Sound

The second Atlas Sound record comes with a bit of back-story. An unfinished version of Logos leaked well over a year ago, and Bradford Cox originally said he would never release it. However, recognizing the potential in what he had composed, he ended up re-recording it properly. Cox's retraction is our gain, as Logos encapsulates, even more than last year's debut, Let the Blind Lead, just how much more depth and virtuosity there is to Deerhunter's front-man. Comparing the two Logos is a moot point; what he's chosen to release is a collection of mostly first takes strung together by vivid nuances, beguiling repetition and nomadic melodies. Without his band, Cox allows his compositions to breathe and drift into transitions that range anywhere from the spatial, lo-fi of "Kid Klimax" to the drastically reduced, Krautrockin' "Quick Canal" (featuring Stereolab's Laetitia Sadier) to the brilliantly psychotropic "Walkabout" with Noah Lennox (aka Panda Bear). Cox has blogged about how Lennox's Animal Collective have inspired him to be more "panoramic" with his music, and on Logos he's not only given us a wide open look at his genius but also insured that Atlas Sound are a sturdy alternative while Deerhunter take their hiatus.