Deerhunter – Cryptograms
If not for the “best new music” designation by webzine Pitchfork given to Atlanta, Ga. group Deerhunter, this band’s sophomore effort Cryptograms would have likely continued their lurch into obscurity. And while the website’s editors have an obvious predilection for the meandering ambience of overhyped groups like The Field and Panda Bear, Deerhunter caters to the avant-garde palate while also crafting some of the most grating psych-rock to have emerged this year.
A cacophonous blend of moody atmospherics and angry anthems – captured best in the album’s title track when vocalist Bradford Cox drones repetitively “there was no sound” – Cryptograms pins and breaks one disheveled emotion after another.
Reference: Pitchfork’s “Best New Music” record review
Reference: Pitchfork/Bradford Cox interview