Microcastle

Bradford Cox, the lanky leader behind Deerhunter, continues to take outsider music to its logical progression on their third record Microcastle. Taking a leaf out of slacker icons Thurston Moore and Stephen Malkmus’ book, he’s decided to embrace pop melodies, ambient fuzzy soundscapes and angular rhythms while also stepping back a little in terms of intensity and reigning in the noise in favour of an introverted, acid-fuelled collection of tracks. The results are mixed. ‘90s inspired indie pop tune ‘Nothing Ever Happened’ is a mesmerising piece of work but some songs like album closer ‘Twilight At Carbon Lake’ outstay their welcome making you yearn for the days when the band rocked with their Cox out.