Parallaxby Atlas Sound (4AD, 7th November)
Bradford Cox doesn’t have a filter. Between his indie rock band Deerhunter and his solo project Atlas Sound, this is his seventh album in four years, not including the dozens of songs that he’s given away online. This almost constant flow of music mirrors his stream-of-consciousness lyrics and his openness in interviews—in a recent meeting with the Guardian, he claimed to be a virgin and went on to introduce the journalist to his parents.
It may be difficult to keep up with everything that Cox produces, but for those new to his work, Parallax looks set to be his most accessible and polished album yet. He’s traded the lo-fi wooziness of his debut for a cleaner sound. The singles from Parallax are rich and detailed, with an autumnal quality. Acoustic instruments take the lead, while shimmering guitar and misty synth create the space and atmosphere that characterise Cox’s music. His high voice has become more confident, and songs like “Terra Incognita” have a classic quality, recalling the sounds of the 1960s and 1970s without mimicking them.
The cover of Parallax is a knowingly iconic photo of Cox taken by Mick Rock, the veteran music photographer. After four years as a darling of America’s underground scene, it seems Cox now aspires to match the classic rock stars he adores.
Bradford Cox doesn’t have a filter. Between his indie rock band Deerhunter and his solo project Atlas Sound, this is his seventh album in four years, not including the dozens of songs that he’s given away online. This almost constant flow of music mirrors his stream-of-consciousness lyrics and his openness in interviews—in a recent meeting with the Guardian, he claimed to be a virgin and went on to introduce the journalist to his parents.
It may be difficult to keep up with everything that Cox produces, but for those new to his work, Parallax looks set to be his most accessible and polished album yet. He’s traded the lo-fi wooziness of his debut for a cleaner sound. The singles from Parallax are rich and detailed, with an autumnal quality. Acoustic instruments take the lead, while shimmering guitar and misty synth create the space and atmosphere that characterise Cox’s music. His high voice has become more confident, and songs like “Terra Incognita” have a classic quality, recalling the sounds of the 1960s and 1970s without mimicking them.
The cover of Parallax is a knowingly iconic photo of Cox taken by Mick Rock, the veteran music photographer. After four years as a darling of America’s underground scene, it seems Cox now aspires to match the classic rock stars he adores.
