Deerhunter leader Bradford Cox wants to get one thing straight with you: he sometimes plays the harmonica and acoustic guitar simultaneously. I know, I know; this is shocking news because all of your friends told you that that Deerhunter was an “ambient punk” band (and this year’s bad ass Halcyon Digest doesn’t necessarily debunk that tag), but it’s true. Dude’s into folk. Dude loves Dylan. Dude probably even has a soft spot for that dweeby James Taylor guy. Besides, have you heard Atlas Sound? In the words of Bob Dylan himself: “shit’s folk as fuck.”
And to prove it once and for all, Cox has released TWO new mixtapes for free on the Deerhunter blog that feature, among other things, Bob Dylan covers, Kurt Vile covers, and more mouth organs, blues harps, tin sandwiches, hobo harps, reckless trams, Mississippi saxophones, and honkin’ bobos than Steven Tyler’s safety deposit box. With credits and liner notes that read along the lines of “recorded at home August 2010 on TASCAM DP-08” and “B. COX: Electric Bass, Bells, Congas, Nylon Guitar, Mouth Organ, Vocals,” you can bet your bottom dollar that these tapes are a pretty loose, let-your-hair-down affair. But don’t worry, ambient punk fans, the whole vibe is still way more Neil Young than Pete Seeger (well, depending on how much oxycodone you imagine Seeger ingesting these days).
• Deerhunter/Atlas Sound: http://deerhuntertheband.blogspot.com
