Deerhunter
have a repetitive listening style that drives listeners back and forth from
love to hate, hit or miss. Halcyon Digest was released to a similar
reception in 2010, the difference this time being a genre shift. Instead of
continuing down the path of glorified indie rock without the lo-fi attitude their
previous albums bolstered, Monomania went down a gritty route of hells
angels and pain. They grind their teeth and address their debut album Turn
It up Faggot. Some call it experimenting, others, a U-turn.
Pre-release
single "Monomania" is an exciting garage rock track that made Lockett
Pundt swallow a bittersweet pill of delay and reverb from his 2012 solo album Spooky
Action at a Distance. It seems as if Monomania's recording sessions
are akin to that of Captain Beefheart, or a verbally abusive Lou Reed in a
warzone. Bradford Cox continues to turn heads with his unusual attitude which
has been at the centre of attention in recent years. His character is less in
your face and more in your ear on Deerhunter's sixth album. He hasn't cooled down;
he's just worked out an angry way to move Deerhunter forward.
"Nitebike"
shows this cool side to Cox without the backing of Pundt and co. It's the back
end of Monomania that makes this a special Deerhunter record. In previous
efforts, Deerhunter have succeeded based on the first three/four tracks - still
delivering on the back end, but not as efficient as this. With Monomania's hectic
first half, the back end makes for a great cathartic cool down. Tracks like
"Sleepwalking" and "Back to the Middle" really bring
Deerhunter's developed sound to light. There's an outstanding vox recording on
Cox's vocal, whereas the drums and bass, although turned down a notch from Halcyon
Digest, reap the rewards.
The finger-picking ingenuity works with a
VU-esque structure and vocal delivery on "T.H.M", signalling a deeper
meaning to garage rock as heard on Monomania. All the perfect timings
and foot stomping drum beats are here. Everything exciting about Deerhunter
comes together like a Neapolitan ice
cream. Monomania really is Deerhunter's breakout album. Cox is breaking
out of his shell vocally and Pundt musically. The 'rock' aspect of this album
starts and ends on side one. "Dream Captain" finalises a run of five
chaotic tracks that tear Deerhunter out of their Hipster Runoff description.
"Leather Jacket II" has the invigorating guitar riffs, "Neon Junkyard" the vocal reoccurrences and 'prog'; "Pensacola" has
the fun and "The Missing" contributes the single.
To sum up
Deerhunter's sixth album in one word - Monomania. Each member of Deerhunter has
their own thoughts, ideas and input to what would be the band's sixth album.
They know how to play rock music, and they certainly know how to please and
displease a dedicated audience that was once cult, but now something far more
special. Deerhunter continuously impress and do it with such conviction that
albums released in the same sub-genre just seem minimal. The character of Cox,
the skill of Pundt - the heart of Deerhunter.
~Eddie
8.6
