In our Moving Units column, Mike Ramirez at Fort Lauderdale's Radio-Active Records graciously keeps us up-to-date and comments on the current releases flying out of his store each week.
Choosing between prolific Bradford Cox's solo efforts as Atlas Sound and his output with Deerhunter is sort of like taking sides in the so-called "Geeks Versus Hipsters" debate. Bystanders will say the difference in psychedelic sonic properties is negligible because Cox's excellent voice and inventive songwriting doesn't change much. If anything, Deerhunter was more of a rock-guitar-driven entity on 2008's Microcastle than last year's dark and marvelous Atlas Sound album, Logos. With the synth-bent "Helicopter" leading the way on Halcyon Digest, it's easy to get the idea that Cox has abandoned any stylistic separation between the two artistic monikers. However, deeper listening shows that this track is the exception.
Radio-Active Records' Top 5 Releases for September 28-October 4:
1. Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest (4AD). "Georgia's Deerhunter comes in at number one, following the limited-edition 45 (Revival) that was released two months prior. Pitchfork asks if the band is relevant or just second-tier indie rock. Any thoughts?"
2. Torche - Songs for Singles (Hydra Head). "Florida's Torche retains the second slot. Buy this LP soon before all of the limited colors run out!"
3. Mayer Hawthorne - I Need You (Stones Throw).
4. Aloe Blacc - Good Things (Stones Throw). "Aloe Blacc's Good Things sparked a lot of interest, riding high off of the "I Need a Dollar" 12-inch. Stones Throw's biggest release yet?"
5. No Age - Everything in Between (Sub Pop).
Which albums will we be discussing next week?
"Next week, we have some high-profile bangers including: John Lennon - Power to the People (EMI) and his reissue series, Clinic's Bubblegum (Domino), Commix's Be True (Metalheadz), Mark Ronson's Record Collection (Columbia), Gonjasufi - Caliphs Tea Party (Warp), the Dead Weather's Blue Blood Blues (Third Man), Koffin Kats' Forever for Hire (Stomp), Tim Kasher's The Game of Monogamy (Saddle Creek), and more."
