Atlas Sound - Logos

"Spirits floating in the night, will they ever find their way?"

Being a huge fan of his Atlanta-based band Deerhunter and being slightly disappointed by his first solo album Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel, I was unsure what my reaction would be to Bradford Cox's followup, Logos. His first album focused mainly on ambiance and had a lo-fi bedroom feel, and while it had great tracks like "River Card" and "Quarantine", the album as a whole just felt uneven to me.

Logos was just the opposite.

After the self-titled final track's abrupt fadeout, one thing was clear. The album flows together incredibly. Every song here fits like a puzzle piece. Listening to Logos beginning to end, it's almost hard sometimes to realize that you aren't hearing the same track you just were. It's very rare to find an album where all of the songs belong and none of them feel out of place.

Album opener "The Light That Failed" begins with an eerie loop of noises and unraveling tapes that maintains the feel of his first album, but is then interrupted with the strum of an acoustic guitar (something not common in Let The Blind Lead...) and Cox's echoey and very-much-tampered-with vocals. It's a great first song to set the mood of the album. There's something familiar about the noisy ambiance, but he goes a step further and approaches a folk-rock atmosphere. A common theme throughout the album.

When we get to the third track "Walkabout", it's apparent that there's something even more at hand here. Featuring guest vocals by Animal Collective's Noah Lennox, "Walkabout" is a poppy masterpiece that can only reach its full potential if you turn the volume all the way up in your car and roll your windows down. The bulk of the song is a sample from the band Dovers and the repeated line "What did you want to see? / What did you want to be? / When you grew up". It's powerful enough to make you feel like a kid again, jumping into a pile of leaves.

Every song has it's part to play in Logos. Pulsing organs, a thumping drum crescendo and beautiful guest vocals by Lætitia Sadier occupy the fantastic "Quick Canal", an eight and a half minute song that never gets boring or slow-moving. Another highlight is "Logos", a repetitive but fun closer that ends the album on a high note. The greatest track though, is "Shelia". A song consisting of the same three chords, simple percussion and haunting lyrics like "We'll die alone together" all wrapped up in one of the catchiest and greatest tracks of this year. Bradford Cox shuffles between folky acoustic ballads, noisy electronic ambiance and pop songs that you can't help tapping your foot to, all while making them feel right in place. It's not an easy thing to create such a perfect montage of music.

Logos still has the experimentation and originality that Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel had, but is much more improved and approachable. I had the privilege to see Bradford play as both Atlas Sound and Deerhunter at the ATP Festival amongst many other bands including Animal Collective and Sufjan Stevens. The Atlas Sound set was plagued with faulty equipment, mistakes on Bradfords part and a short time slot. He ended up playing only five or six songs. The strange thing is, his set was my (and many other peoples) favorite that weekend. His shy but intriguing personality is reflected in his music. I left Logos feeling the same way I felt after seeing his performance. An exciting and haunting feeling that will stay with you for quite some time.

8.9/10