| Parallax | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 7 November 2011 | |||
| Recorded | June 2011 at Rare Book Room Studios, Brooklyn, NY | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 48:32 | |||
| Label | 4AD | |||
| Producer | Bradford Cox, Nicolas Vernhes | |||
| Atlas Sound chronology | ||||
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Parallax is the third studio album from Bradford Cox's solo project Atlas Sound, released November 7, 2011 on 4AD. The album debuted at #97 on the Billboard 200 and has received critical acclaim. [3] [4]
After Parallax was recorded, Bradford Cox was forced to continue touring with Deerhunter, which ended up being so stressful for Cox that it caused him to have a nervous breakdown. [5] Cox related album's title to his lifestyle, saying:
It's all about parallax, man. Five years for one person is 20 for another, you know? It's like, if a car is coming towards you down a highway and you're going towards it, it's like this distortion of how fast things go by. And I guess my time as a musician has gone by so fast that I realized that I have no personal life. The other guys in Deerhunter, they all found things. And I just have monomania. [5]
Production duties were handled by Cox and previous Deerhunter producer Nicolas Vernhes. The album was assembled at the end of a Deerhunter tour and was mostly recorded at Nicholas Vernhes' studio, Rare Book Room Studios in Brooklyn, NY. [5] [6] [7] Two of the album's tracks ("Flagstaff" and "Terra Incognita") were recorded by Cox himself in his hotel room at the Ace Hotel in New York as a result of limited studio time. [8] 4AD also launched a website, depicting an image of Cox in Manhattan's Central Park, similar to the artwork of his two previous releases, his face is obscured by a lens flare. The website lists the genre as "Science Fiction." [9] Cox dedicated the album to the late Trish Keenan of Broadcast, who had died earlier in 2011. [7]
The artwork features a photograph of Bradford Cox taken by Mick Rock, who had previously shot photographs for albums such as Raw Power , The Madcap Laughs , and Transformer . [10] Cox met Rock through Michael Stipe and the two quickly became friends. The cover's artwork was meant to reflect the influence classic rock and rock and roll had on Cox when he recorded the album. [7] [11] Unlike previous Atlas Sound album covers, Parallax's cover did not feature faces obscured by a lens flare. By not covering his face with a flare, Cox felt that the album cover effectively conveyed the loneliness he experienced creating the album. [7]
The album was announced on August 24, 2011. [10] Prior the album's release, more than half the album's songs were made officially available for streaming and/or download. Two demos of "Mona Lisa" were originally released on the third volume of the Bedroom Databank series that Cox had released on the Deerhunter blog in 2010. [12] [13] "Te Amo," (originally known as "Untitled") and "Flagstaff" have appeared in live Atlas Sound sets for about a year. [14]
"Terra Incognita" was the first track available to coincide with the album's announcement. "Te Amo," "Modern Aquatic Nightsongs," "Amplifiers," "The Shakes," "Lightworks," "Praying Man," and "Flagstaff," all followed. Some were made exclusively available through websites such as the online retailer Amazon, [15] radio station KEXP's blog [16] and music blogs Gorilla vs. Bear [17] and Fluxblog. On November 2, 2011, the whole album was streamed on the New York Times website. [18]
"Parallax," the album's first single, was released on October 24, 2011. It was backed with the b-side "Oh, Ricky." [19]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 8.1/10 [20] |
| Metacritic | 82/100 [4] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [21] |
| The A.V. Club | A− [22] |
| The Guardian | [23] |
| Mojo | [24] |
| NME | 8/10 [25] |
| Pitchfork | 8.7/10 [26] |
| Q | [27] |
| Rolling Stone |  [1] |
| Spin | 9/10 [28] |
| Uncut | [29] |
Parallax received positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 82, based on 34 reviews, indicating "Universal acclaim". [4]
Allmusic writer Heather Phares awarded the album a grade of four stars out of five, writing: "It's a quietly satisfying album with a determined fragility that makes it all the more moving." [21] Rolling Stone gave the album three-and-half-stars out of five and noted: "Cox values songwriting ahead of texture these days, and the effort is paying off." [1] The A.V. Club's David Greenwald praised the album's more accessible sound, writing, "It's a brilliant feat: to make a record about distance, Cox has written the most effortlessly approachable music of his career. " [22] Popmatters writer Daniel Tebo gave the album a very positive review and rated it 9 out of 10 and wrote: "It's a fitting conclusion to a near perfect album that finds an artist expanding his musical palate without sacrificing an ounce of himself in the process." [30] musicOMH writer, Max Raymond called it "Atlas Sound's best album to date" and said: "This is easily the most satisfying and rewarding set of songs that Cox has written in any of his projects and it'll be a tough ask to top it." [31] Drowned in Sound was also positive on the album and said: "Moments of genuine marvel, each one craving its own flowery descriptives, come thick and fast." [32] Spin magazine's Marc Hogan gave it a very positive review, writing "A sci-fi tint shifts the perspective from Atlas Sound's usual layered introspection: Inner space now has become outer space." [28] Tiny Mix Tapes writer Conrad Tao was also positive on the album and gave it four stars out of five and wrote: "Thankfully, such peeks of inhibition are brief, and Cox spends far more time confidently beckoning us into the glorious world he's created. For the first time, this is a place where we're to be cohabitants, not merely invitees." [2] Loren Auda Poin from Filter gave it a positive review with 83% and wrote: "With each Atlas Sound release, the sonic effects become more interwoven, intense and impressive, and truly no one else could be writing these songs the way Cox does." [33] Under The Radar was also positive on the album and rated it 7 out of 10 and wrote: "While too restrained overall to match the tie-dyed brilliance of Logos, Parallax's subtle charms demonstrate that Cox's musical id is still alive and kicking." [34]
Several critics noted the album's more consistent sound. Clash magazine described the album as "a more refined listen" compared to Logos. [35] Nick Neyland of Pitchfork gave the album a "Best New Music" designation, writing "Parallax feels like a more complete work than any other Atlas Sound record, with the differences between the songs less distinct and everything flowing together more naturally." [26] No Ripcord's Andrew Baer also praised the album's consistency, writing "Cox sounds comfortable and confident, and has made the best solo album of his prolific career." [36] BBC music was called Parallax "Cox's most coherent record to date," continuing: "it's harder to spotlight individual tracks, but individual settings stand out. [37] Jeremy D. Larson of Consequence of Sound awarded the album with four-and-half-stars out of five and said: "What makes Parallax a fully realized album is, in contrast to its compact musicality, the expanses and voids Cox explores." [38]
Not all reviews were entirely positive, though. Sputnikmusic writer Robin Smith was more ambivalent to the album, writing "Parallax, unrealised masterpiece or not, sounds like the man in his bedroom with a thousand songs to leave unexplained." [39] Jonathan Donaldson of The Phoenix wrote "Yet even when relying less on atmospheric synths and playing with a full-band set up ("The Shakes"), Parallax misses early rock's tautness and grit." [40] Daniel Becker of Dusted Reviews felt the album was "sparer than usual, flimsier, subtler," writing "These songs aren’t weighty enough, individually or cumulatively, to leave an imprint — they fail to make a world out of themselves, leaving instead snatches of place, time of day, lighting conditions." [41]
Pitchfork placed the album at number 18 on its list of the "Top 50 albums of 2011". [42]
All tracks are written by Bradford Cox
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Shakes" | 2:57 |
| 2. | "Amplifiers" | 2:49 |
| 3. | "Te Amo" | 4:14 |
| 4. | "Parallax" | 2:46 |
| 5. | "Modern Aquatic Nightsongs" | 4:09 |
| 6. | "Mona Lisa (feat. Andrew VanWyngarden)" | 3:06 |
| 7. | "Praying Man" | 2:48 |
| 8. | "Doldrums" | 4:35 |
| 9. | "Angel Is Broken" | 4:58 |
| 10. | "Terra Incognita" | 6:25 |
| 11. | "Flagstaff" | 5:54 |
| 12. | "Lightworks" | 3:56 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Quark Part 1" | 7:47 |
| 14. | "Quark Part 2" | 2:42 |
Credits adapted from Allmusic: [43]
|
|
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 [44] | 97 |
| U.S. Independent Albums [44] | 17 |
| U.S. Top Rock Albums [44] | 20 |
| U.S. Top Alternative Albums [44] | 13 |
Cryptograms is the second album from Atlanta, Georgia-based indie rock group Deerhunter, released through Kranky on January 29, 2007 on CD and vinyl. Following the 2005 release of its first full-length album Turn It Up Faggot, Deerhunter began recording material for its next record at Rare Book Room studio in New York. This initial recording session failed, due to the physical and mental state of lead singer Bradford Cox, as well as malfunctioning equipment in the studio. The band returned to Atlanta, only giving recording a second try after encouragement from members of the band Liars. The final version of Cryptograms was recorded in two separate day-long sessions, months apart, resulting in two musically distinct parts—the first includes more ambient music while the second contains more pop music elements. Cox sang most of the record's lyrics in a stream-of-consciousness manner; they include themes of death, companionship, and Cox's experiences with his genetic disorder Marfan syndrome. Cryptograms was generally well received by critics, and several publications placed the album on their lists of the top albums of 2007.
Deerhunter is an American indie rock band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in 2001. The band currently consists of Bradford Cox, Moses Archuleta, Lockett Pundt, Josh McKay (bass) and Javier Morales.
Fluorescent Grey is an extended play accompaniment to Cryptograms, the second studio release by Atlanta-based band Deerhunter. The EP was released on CD by Kranky on May 8, 2007, and later as a vinyl bundle with Cryptograms. A music video for the track "Strange Lights" is included with the CD release. The album's cover is a photograph of Deerhunter guitarist Lockett Pundt as a seventh-grader. Its lyrical themes touch on death and the decomposition of the human body—"Fluorescent Grey" is the name lead singer Bradford Cox gives to the color of dead flesh. Fluorescent Grey received a number of positive reviews upon its release. Cox later released a free series of demos over the internet, being early versions of tracks on Fluorescent Grey and other material.
Bradford James Cox is an American singer-songwriter and musician, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the indie rock band Deerhunter. He also pursues a solo career under the moniker Atlas Sound.
Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See but Cannot Feel is the first studio album by Atlas Sound, the solo project of Deerhunter frontman Bradford Cox. The album was released in North America by Kranky on February 19, 2008 and in Europe by 4AD on May 5, 2008. The tracks of Let the Blind Lead were constructed with computer-generated and recorded instruments in music software Ableton Live. Described as being stream-of-consciousness in nature by Cox, each song was created over the span of several hours; in addition, the music and lyrics were written and sung on the spot. For its release, the tracks were arranged in the order in which they were recorded; Cox described the album as a whole as having a "dynamic arc" to it. The North American cover art is a modified photograph of a painting of a doctor treating a sick boy. The face of the child is obscured by a camera flash, although Cox feels that this gives the picture a "romantic" element.
Microcastle is the third album by Deerhunter. After the album had been leaked on the internet, it became available on iTunes on August 19, 2008, while physical copies were released on October 27, 2008. In the U.S. the album was released on Kranky and on 4AD in Europe. The album was recorded over the course of one week in April 2008 by Nicolas Vernhes at Rare Book Room Studios in Brooklyn, NY. In the U.S., the album has managed to sell over 50,000 units.
Weird Era Cont. is the fourth album by Deerhunter released concurrently with Microcastle. After Microcastle had leaked months in advance of its planned release date, the band recorded a new album in an attempt to reward those who awaited its street release date although like Microcastle, it also leaked in advance. Weird Era Cont. was officially made available as a bonus disc/12", depending on format, with both the 4AD and Kranky releases.
Lockett James Pundt IV is an American musician, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist of Atlanta-based indie rock group Deerhunter. Pundt joined Deerhunter in 2005 as a guitarist. He releases solo material under the name Lotus Plaza. His debut album as Lotus Plaza, The Floodlight Collective, was released March 23, 2009 on CD and vinyl. Pundt has cited his greatest musical influences as being Stereolab, My Bloody Valentine, and Roxy Music, "on a subliminal level."
Rainwater Cassette Exchange is an extended-play by Atlanta-based indie rock band Deerhunter. Much like their previous effort, it was recorded at Rare Book Room Studios in Brooklyn with producer Nicolas Vernhes. It became available for download on May 18, 2009, and released on CD and vinyl on June 8. The EP was distributed by Kranky in the US while 4AD handled overseas distribution. The title track became available for download on April 17.
Logos is the second studio album from ambient experimental project Atlas Sound. It was released on October 19, 2009, in Europe by 4AD, and on October 20 in the US by Kranky. The album features guest contributions from Noah Lennox and Stereolab's Lætitia Sadier. Units ordered directly from Rough Trade came packaged with a bonus six-song EP of leftover material. The album reached #7 on the Billboard Heatseekers album chart. The cover art is an image of Bradford Cox, who has Marfan syndrome, and is inspired by the artwork of his previous release.
The discography of Atlanta, Georgia-based ambient and psychedelic band Deerhunter includes six studio albums, two extended plays, five vinyl singles, three split albums, and four music videos. The band has also made appearances on a number of compilation albums. Deerhunter was formed in 2001 by vocalist Bradford Cox and drummer Moses Archuleta. Members to later join were guitarists Colin Mee and Lockett Pundt, and bassists Justin Bosworth and Josh Fauver. Bosworth was killed in a skateboarding accident early in the band's career, leading to his replacement by Fauver. Mee left Deerhunter in 2007 after scheduling conflicts preventing him from performing at a number of shows.
The discography of American musician Bradford Cox includes his work with Deerhunter, the band he cofounded with drummer Moses Archuleta in 2001, and his solo efforts as Atlas Sound. With Deerhunter, Cox has released four studio albums and two extended plays, and as Atlas Sound he has released two albums, several vinyl singles and splits, and over fifty individual tracks on his blog. Cox was born in 1982 in Athens, Georgia, and has used the name "Atlas Sound" to refer to his own music since he was a child, when he recorded on a tape player created by the company Atlas Sound. He is known for having the genetic disorder Marfan syndrome and his live performances with Deerhunter during 2007, in which he would come out on stage in dresses and covered in fake blood.
The Floodlight Collective is the first studio album by Lotus Plaza, released March 23, 2009, although recording on the album began in 2007. The album was produced by Brian Foote of the band Nudge. Musically, the album is similar to the work of Deerhunter and Atlas Sound, the solo project of Deerhunter's lead vocalist Bradford Cox. Marc Hogan of Pitchfork Media found that "Pundt at times lets his diffidence get the best of him", and that the album's musical elements "can begin to run together." However, Hogan suspects "That's probably the point…The Floodlight Collective is a mostly elegant listen, and one whose failings are part of its theme: Like a vague recollection, it's still a little hard to hold on to after it's over—pretty albeit somewhat ephemeral."
Halcyon Digest is the fifth studio album by American indie rock band Deerhunter. It was released September 27, 2010 to universal critical acclaim. It was the band's first album distributed solely by 4AD worldwide The album was produced by the band and Ben H. Allen, and was recorded at Chase Park Transduction studios in Athens, Georgia with engineer David Barbe. The final track, "He Would Have Laughed" was recorded separately by Bradford Cox at Notown Sound in Marietta, Georgia and is a tribute to Jay Reatard.
"Walkabout" is a song by Atlas Sound featuring Noah Lennox. It appears as the third track on his second studio effort Logos. Although never released as a single, it is often seen as the lead single as it was the first song officially released from the album. Upon initial release, Pitchfork Media included it in their best new tracks section and rated it as 34th best song of the year. The track utilizes an extensive sample of "What Am I Going to Do" by The Dovers.
Strange Mercy is the third studio album by American musician St. Vincent, released on September 13, 2011 by 4AD, in the United Kingdom and a day later in the United States. The album's cover art was designed by St. Vincent, and was photographed by Tina Tyrell. The album peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard 200, it was St. Vincent's highest charting album at the time, later being surpassed by her next two solo albums, St. Vincent (2014) and Masseduction (2017). In addition, Strange Mercy received significant critical acclaim.
Spooky Action at a Distance is the second studio album by Lotus Plaza, a.k.a. Lockett Pundt, guitarist/vocalist/songwriter for Deerhunter. It was released on April 2, 2012 on Chicago-based label Kranky.
Monomania is the sixth studio album by American indie rock band Deerhunter, released on May 7, 2013 on 4AD. Produced by both the band and Nicolas Vernhes, the album is the first to feature bassist Josh McKay, and is the only studio album to feature guitarist Frankie Broyles.
Fading Frontier is the seventh studio album by the American indie rock band Deerhunter, released on October 16, 2015 on 4AD. Produced by Ben H. Allen, who had previously worked with the band on Halcyon Digest (2010), and the band itself, the album was preceded by the singles "Snakeskin", "Breaker" and "Living My Life".
Why Hasn't Everything Already Disappeared? is the eighth studio album by the American indie rock band Deerhunter. It was released on January 18, 2019, on 4AD. The album was co-produced by singer-songwriter Cate Le Bon, Ben H. Allen, Ben Etter and the band itself. The first single, "Death in Midsummer", was released on October 30, 2018. The same day, a world tour in support of the album was announced, starting on November 4, 2018. The second single from the album, "Element", was released on December 6, 2018. The album leaked on December 12, 2018.
