Originally posted by harrisonOWNSmccartney: no age are fucking terrible. Microcastle is amazing compared to Cryptograms.
I must say that I enjoyed Cryptograms more than Microcastle. The feeling I got from Cryptograms was far stronger than Microcastle... I still love it though.
I hate to necro a dead thread, but I still can't get over how amazing a record Cryptograms is. It's hard to even compare Microcastle to it because of how different it is, but Microcastle, in my eyes, was a disappointment because of the expectations I had for it. Don't get me wrong - it is a fine album and would probably make my top ten, but Cryptograms has it beat by a mile. Listening all the way through Microcastle leaves me wishing for more.
Has anyone heard the Daytrotter session version of "Activa"? I'm wondering why they changed it so much for the album. I enjoyed the Daytrotter session version immensely, and am baffled as to why they would tone the song down so much. Is it for mood? The "scrreeaaamm" part gives the song so much more potency. I think the song would lift up that slow middle section nicely, setting it up for "Nothing Ever Happened."
Posts: 117 | Location: Pasadena, CA | Registered: 24 September 2008
Originally posted by harrisonOWNSmccartney: no age are fucking terrible. Microcastle is amazing compared to Cryptograms.
I must say that I enjoyed Cryptograms more than Microcastle. The feeling I got from Cryptograms was far stronger than Microcastle... I still love it though.
I hate to necro a dead thread, but I still can't get over how amazing a record Cryptograms is. It's hard to even compare Microcastle to it because of how different it is, but Microcastle, in my eyes, was a disappointment because of the expectations I had for it. Don't get me wrong - it is a fine album and would probably make my top ten, but Cryptograms has it beat by a mile. Listening all the way through Microcastle leaves me wishing for more.
Has anyone heard the Daytrotter session version of "Activa"? I'm wondering why they changed it so much for the album. I enjoyed the Daytrotter session version immensely, and am baffled as to why they would tone the song down so much. Is it for mood? The "scrreeaaamm" part gives the song so much more potency. I think the song would lift up that slow middle section nicely, setting it up for "Nothing Ever Happened."
I know how you feel about Microcastle. Both Turn it up Faggot and Cryptograms both had that sense of aggression, Cryptogrtams much less, respectively. Microcastle is just so peaceful and sound, which is fine, but maybe a little too Atlas Sound for Deerhunter's established sound. I still love it though, favourite record of the year.
This version of Activa you speak of interests me. Do link me to it.
It pays to kill anyone who has information.
Posts: 218 | Location: London, ON, CANADA | Registered: 12 October 2007
As you can see, this took place in November of 2007. They played "Activa" and "Calvary Scars," the former of which I prefer the Daytrotter version to the Microcastle one.
And I totally agree with you about Microcastle being too much Atlas Sound-esque. I want the aggression, noise, distortion as much as I want the dreamy pop when I listen to Deerhunter (though I don't think I like Turn It Up Faggot as much as you - too much aggression for me, haha).
Posts: 117 | Location: Pasadena, CA | Registered: 24 September 2008
So after what seems like a year, Microcastle officially drops next week. For those of us who've been listening for months, how does it fare in the reviews? I for one still have it on top of my year end list. Its held up amazingly and I still look forward to listening to it. "Nothing Ever Happened" is still the best song of the year in my opinion. As much as Pitchfork and others loved Cryptograms this either is an enormous step forward, or a step back if you loved the ambient noisy side of their previous release.
I'll predict Pitchfork drops a 9.4 on it and it ends the year as their #1.
Posts: 1781 | Location: The Coastal Empire | Registered: 24 December 2004
Sad to say this is a step back for me. I loved the ambient interludes and noisy shoegaze. It's still a damn good album, but I just wish they went further into that territory.
I predict a 9.0 from Pitchfork and somewhere around the #10 mark for the best of the year for them. Although, thinking about it, there hasn't been that many P4k standounts as there were in previous years...
Posts: 117 | Location: Pasadena, CA | Registered: 24 September 2008
To Hophead and Joymonger: Step back in terms of Deerhunter. Atlas Sound is really cool. I like that side of Bradford Cox. However, I do think he put too much Atlas in this record. It's still an awesome record, but a good Deerhunter record, nowhere near the stellar Cryptograms.
Lack of Octet, White Ink and Lake Somerset tore me to pieces.
It pays to kill anyone who has information.
Posts: 218 | Location: London, ON, CANADA | Registered: 12 October 2007
Not too into Cryptograms - its alright, but too ambienty for my taste. I'm all about their pop side, and the songs on Microcastle are for sure Bradford's best. It's my favourite record of the year so far. Twilight at Carbon Lake is just bliss.
All round critical success obviously. Pitchfork 9.3. Don't think they'll make it their #1, too obvious a choice for them, and it's not breaking enough crazy art rock boundaries.
Originally posted by joymonger: Radiant, did you listen to those Daytrotter versions of those Deerhunter songs (especially the two early versions from Microcastle)?
I listened to the version of Activa. Although better on its own, it fit much better on the record that was Microcastle. However, if the record was done more in vain of Cryptograms, we're talking a different story.
Update: I just heard Calvary Scars off Daytrotter, and I'm now angry at you because that song kicked ass and was far more Cryptograms than the Microcastle version.
I know a lot of people/critics are going to be confused in naming/rating this album. Do you call it "Microcastle" or "Mircocastle/Weird Era Cont.". Should the second album even be rated with Microcastle? Cause it is just a bonus disc after all. Or is it part 2 of the album?
Confustion @_@!
---------------------------------------- "You're half the man Peter Pan could have been"
Posts: 1287 | Location: Vancouver, BC | Registered: 20 December 2006
Originally posted by BAfé: I know a lot of people/critics are going to be confused in naming/rating this album. Do you call it "Microcastle" or "Mircocastle/Weird Era Cont.". Should the second album even be rated with Microcastle? Cause it is just a bonus disc after all. Or is it part 2 of the album?
Confustion @_@!
Bonus disc.
Deconfusion
It pays to kill anyone who has information.
Posts: 218 | Location: London, ON, CANADA | Registered: 12 October 2007
This is hilarious. I just listened to Weird Era Cont.... 4 times and it's better than Microcastle. Hilarity always ensues when your bonus disc kills the one you're marketing. The alt version of Calvary Scars is one of the best record closers ever, along with The Private Psychedelic Reel and Here Come the Warm Jets.
It pays to kill anyone who has information.
Posts: 218 | Location: London, ON, CANADA | Registered: 12 October 2007
Question for anyone who bought the physical copy...
What's the pricing at? Is it a price of one CD, or is it priced like a double disc, like 30 bucks? If it's 20, I'll pick it up... I mean, 2 Deerhunter discs is probably worth 20 bucks of my money... (Meaning I don't think 1 Deerhunter album is worth 20 bucks of my money...)
Also for anyone with the physical copy... is there a CD booklet or anything?
Originally posted by ANinBC: Question for anyone who bought the physical copy...
What's the pricing at? Is it a price of one CD, or is it priced like a double disc, like 30 bucks? If it's 20, I'll pick it up... I mean, 2 Deerhunter discs is probably worth 20 bucks of my money... (Meaning I don't think 1 Deerhunter album is worth 20 bucks of my money...)
Also for anyone with the physical copy... is there a CD booklet or anything?
30 dollars?!? Maybe I'm spoiled being close to so many record stores, but I don't remember the last time I spent more than $15 dollars on a cd that wasn't either rare or a boxset. Anyways, I just picked up the album today for 13 American Dollars, which a currency calculator tells me is about 16 Canadian Dollars. Its about the same on Amazon and well worth it to get the Weird Era Cont. disc. It does have a booklet of some photos shaded in pastels like the cover, nothing spectacular but pleasant enough to look at and matches the music well enough.
