I know, I know - when does this guy sleep, right? Bradford Cox, the creative mind behind Atlas Sound and Deerhunter, has just nonchalantly released four full albums for download via his website. Granted, they are a selection of demos and predominantly bedroom recordings, but they collectively tally forty-nine songs. Perhaps it’s a tad unfair to review these as a released, finished and collected works as they are undeniably not so, but it’s still a vital and titillating look into the mind, world and bedroom of Bradford Cox, which is more print worthy than most.
The Volumes are unpredictable, inconsistent and certainly patchy, but what do you expect? The genres on display fluctuate and rattle around from laptop drone to simple, restrained folk. In an interview last year Cox said he had spent an entire year listening to Neil Young and Bob Dylan almost exclusively (a cover of This Wheel’s On Fire is present here), and there are moments where this is certainly reflected, and Cox’s warm and ethereal vocals are often the perfect and solely needed accompaniment to the gentle guitar twang; often a simple toot on a harmonica will rear it’s head and humble along proceedings.
While the songs may vary drastically in sound and quality there is no denying that a trip through Bradford’s mind is an interesting one. Perhaps one of the most affecting moments comes on a cover of Kurt Vile’s Freak Train: all instrumental with a calypso style beat that could border on tacky but instead feels vibrant and imaginative. It’s these peeks into his world that are most compelling - we get an insight into how he thinks, works and behaves as a songwriter, and this is why we keep listening. These demos show that even in throwaway mess-around mode, Bradford is still able to create dense atmospheres eerie, tranquil and almost hallucinogenic in their effects. Cox has always dealt in textures and atmospheres with the blurriest and most beautiful degree of precision - like tar covered in feathers. What isn’t going on is always as interesting as what is.
He has the ability to hypnotise, mystify and warm with his voice, and he does so on this record. As you’d expect, more than a few of the tracks are little more than experiments or straight up pissing around whilst recording, and this can make for a slightly jarring and exasperating listen, but it’s well worth it for the gems.