Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest

Deerhunter is no fan of the sudden, bloody kill. There’s no adrenalin-soaked chase across the hillsides with this bunch of self-proclaimed ‘ambient punks’ from Atlanta. Instead, new record Halcyon Digest less takes up from where 2008’s Microcastle left off, and takes the band’s sound back a notch, into a sleepy, swirling place where subtle tunes soothe unexpected prey, catching them off guard, bringing them down slowly but surely.

But sometimes the approach appears too gentle, like a nice dream in danger of slipping away as soon as you’ve woken up. Opener Earthquake is anything but: a soft, reassuring, laidback swirl. Stand out track Desire Lines adds a bit of tempo to a mix that subtly works its way into your head. Then, when in the psychedelic-sounding Basement Scene singer Bradford Cox opines “I don’t wanna get old/come out tonight and we’ll get stoned” you rejoice in the innocence of it all. You’re in. Shot dead. [PJ Meiklem]