15th
Atlas Sound: “Kid Klimax”
With Cryptograms, Deerhunter became one of my favorite bands of the decade. When they followed that up with the Fluorescent Grey EP, Microcastle, Weird Era Cont. and the Rainwater Cassette Exchange EP, they became one of my favorite bands of any decade. When I found out in late 2007 that Deerhunter mainman Bradford Cox had the solo project Atlas Sound and was releasing an album, I was thrilled. At the time, there was only Cryptograms and Fluorescent Grey and of course I expected something as great as what I was hearing from Deerhunter. However, the debut, Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See but Cannot Feel, just washed over me. Though I listened and listened and listened, knowing full well that the album was predominately ambient pop and should wash over me, nothing but “River Card” and a few other tracks left me with any sediment, anything indissoluble. It was disappointing.
In 2008, Cox spoke of a follow up to Let the Blind… titled Logos. After the debut, I was much more weary of what was to come from Atlas Sound. I also now had Microcastle and Weird Era Cont. to satiate my hunger for Deerhunter. But that was 2008. In 2009, Deerhunter has had their least productive year: only the 5-song Rainwater Cassette Exchange EP. Though I’ve been hungering, I knew that the only other release this year would be Logos and figured I’d have to keep waiting. Then I heard “Walkabout” and “Sheila”. “Walkabout” was a joyous jaunt in the summer sun and “Sheila” a pure and transcendent pop song with a morbid touch provided by the lyrics. Now I was excited about Atlas Sound.
Logos doesn’t disappoint. Cox’s prolific work has helped him become a great songwriter and it shows on Logos. Though there’s still a haze over the album like its predecessor, the songs and production are much tighter and stronger. It’s an insular yet exploratory work. It’s at once lethargic, melancholic and optimistic. Along with “Walkabout”, featuring Animal Collective’s Noah Lennox/Panda Bear, and “Sheila”, not only the best song Cox has done as Atlas Sound but right up there with his best with Deerhunter, other highlights are the epic “Quick Canal”, featuring Stereolab’s Laetitia Sadier on vocals, and “Kid Klimax”.
“Kid Klimax” sounds like the final transmission from a voyager. The Human Race now lives in colonies on Mars and the Moon because Earth has been uninhabitable for decades. Bradford is in the role of the voyager on a solo reconnaissance mission to Earth to test pH levels in the soil and atmosphere to find out when everyone can return. What Kid Klimax - his handle - finds is a lush, iridescent sky and a land of fluorescent grey. Though barren and still toxic, he sees nothing but beauty in the radioactive world. There’s a tranquility for him. He feels at home - something he’s never felt on either of the colonies no matter how hard he tried. With the supplies he has from his ship, he goes off on his own, finding a car with gas and keys still inside. He’s driving along the highway, the glowing sky smeared across the windshield, when he sends the transmission. The transmission is warm with a rhythm of hiss and digital static. An organ melody accompanies his dreamy, fuzzed out vocals with beeps serving as a reminder of the dying transmitter. When the transmission is received by the colonies, they’ll be upset but not because he’s gone AWOL, it’ll be out of envy from hearing the tender serenity he’s found.
