Deerhunter unveils Microcastle at secret Brooklyn show

[Above photo by Jeffrey Beaumont, from A Year of HYPERLIVING]

Last Friday, Deerhunter gave the world its third album, Microcastle. To be fair, the whole world was not in attendance, because the concert venue was rather small and was announced at the last minute, and much of the world was not able to stop by a small Brooklyn art gallery last week to purchase tickets. Deerhunter and four other bands played the Market Hotel, a mind-bogglingly amazing (also: mind-bogglingly hot) loft largely off the beaten path in Brooklyn.

The presence of four other bands (including the absurd [in a good way] Knyfe Hyts and the absurd [in a bad way] AIDS Wolf) meant that Deerhunter did not come onstage until nearly 3 a.m. As a rather astute Brooklyn Vegan commenter notes, “I'm sure they chose to stack the bill and play late after everyone was wasted so they wouldn't have to worry as much if the new songs were still rough around the edges.” Nevertheless, it was worth the wait.

Before launching into the album, the band opened with a cover of “Cool,” by the legendary (and fellow Georgian) Pylon. It turned out to be a fitting opening, as Deerhunter transformed the post-punk classic into something more visceral and aggressive, with a heavier emphasis on the song’s rockier, rhythmic elements.

It’s safe to say that Microcastle, Deerhunter's forthcoming sophomore record, marks a pretty radical departure for the band. There were no interludes or diversions or electronic dalliances (not that those are bad things; they were one of the reasons Cryptograms succeeded so much), just loud, beautiful rock songs, with Josh Fauver’s bass and frontman Bradford Cox’s guitar figuring especially prominent in the mix.

The show was originally announced as an Atlas Sound concert, but Cox did not play anything from his solo project. It must be noted, though, that the sight of Cox fronting a rock band playing forceful, pounding anthems was extraordinary.

Be sure to stay with Paste for news and updates about one of the most highly anticipated albums of 2008.

Related links:
Deerhunter on MySpace
DeerhunterTheBand.blogspot.com
Review: Atlas Sound’s Let the Blind Lead...

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