Deerhunter — Cryptograms

Deerhunters mix of psychedelia, ambient, lo–fi indie and new wave edges returns for its second album. The band have gathered a large amount praise in places low and high, but for myself I find it all passable enough, but really for most of it’s playing time it just seems to drift by with out much excitement.

I think  half the problem is the lo-fi psychedelic indie moments that take up large chunks of the front end of the album, are just rather un-inspired retread of cliché we’ve heard a million times, churning garage rock riffs with echoed vocals and hash smoke hazed guitar. When they do drop into more ambient and spiralling instrumental moments, it’s done in a passable manner, but again nothing really mind-blowing original or potent enough to send you mind truly drifting up and out of your head. There’s also all manner of random tripped out effects like; backwards guitars, bird song and for some reason the sound of water keeps appearing again and again, All of these seemed place in a rather haphazard and erratic manner, with little artistic merit.

Really what I think Deerhunter are trying to do is make psychedelic / drone music that will appeal to the indie kids and popular music press readers, which is ok it it’s self, but as a album of original  experimental music it leaves a lot to be desired. Rather  disappointing releash from the usual quality heavy Kranky label.