Day 1 with Deerhunter

I have officially entered the world of 'workaholism'.

I knew I was there as I trudged into work - on a day when there were a total of three people in my entire building - to "set up shop" for the next 8 hours.

I picked up the new Deerhunter CD "Microcastle/Weird Era Continued" a couple of days ago at CD Central. I have probably listened to both CD's in their entirety 9 times, and I must say if you've ever felt as though you were never gonna get out of something - no matter how bad you wanted to - but at the same time you didn't really care enough to try, then that pretty much sums up my experience listening to "Microcastle/Weird Era Continued".

Microcastle:
This collection of songs starts off by setting up a mood in "Cover Me (Slowly)" that can only be understood after listening through the next four songs. You start off slow, build through the superb trio of "Agoraphobia", "Never Stops", and "Little Kids" before slowing back down with "Microcastle". It's a bell curve, and on a day like today you ride that bell curve over every twist and turn. After "Microcastle", Act II begins with "Calvary Scars", and this, along with the next two songs, sets up the standout of the album - "Nothing Ever Happened". I'm starting to agree with that sentiment. That song punctuates another fine trio of songs, including "Saved By Old Times" and "Neither of Us. Uncertainly", before the album drones to a close with the final number.
Weird Era Continued:
Here's the thing about Weird Era Continued - I like it just as much as, if not more than, Microcastle. Kudos to any band that can concurrently release two CD's chock full of terrific material. This is a great listen, highlighted by "Operation", "Vox Celeste", and "Focus Group". All the while "Backspace Century", "Dot Gain", "VHS Dream", and numerous others are no slackers either.

Here's my advice. Put each of these CD's on at the same time in two different rooms in your house (or in my case, my place of employment) and hit 'Repeat All'. Prepare for the weird era to continue at least for another day.

JT Ess