Atlas Sound
Neumos
Seattle, Wa
2/28/12

Atlas Sound is interesting because it is essentially a counterpoint to Bradford Cox’s other role as frontman of Deerhunter.  On record, the differences between the two projects is slight; and many Atlas Sound songs would dovetail quite well with the more subdued moments on Microcastle and Halcyon Digest, the band’s latest albums.  Yet in a live setting, these nuances are magnified.  As the frontman for Deerhunter, Cox seems to define his music by its relation to, and subversion of, the well-worn tropes of rock music.  I recall a Deerhunter show in 2010 that began with Cox announcing, “We’re just some good ol’ boys from Georgia who like to play rock’n’roll” before launching into a loose, spaced-out effects-laden jam -probably the last thing one might expect “some good ol’ boys” to put out.

At the Atlas Sound show at Neumos the other night, Cox was just as eager to play with the expectations of a “solo” show. Read the rest of this entry →