The Red and Black

Issue date: 2/21/08 Section: Out & About

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ATLAS SOUND

Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel

Bradford Cox, best known as the gangly, eccentric frontman for Atlanta indie-rock quintet Deerhunter, proves once again that he knows how to put together an enrapturing collection of music. Under the alias Atlas Sound, he creates an outlet for his less "rock"-oriented work. His new album, "Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel," makes an unwavering foray into ambient territory.

The first track, "A Ghost Story," acts as a perplexing introduction, featuring little more than tasteful noise-rock elements built around a little kid reciting - you guessed it - a ghost story.

But "Recent Bedroom" and "River Card" get the ball rolling and pull Atlas Sound as close to rock as they get. Both feature a prominent backbeat and a steady groove, yet Cox's weary, plaintive vocals and the ever-present drone of guitars and vocals mold both songs into blissful ambient masterpieces.

The trend continues throughout most of the album. Most remarkable is how the reverberated vocals and guitars swirl together in track after track yet somehow don't tire the listener out.

"On Guard" is a dreamy composition that feels like a roller-coaster ride in slow motion, its ethereal chimes and wordless vocals propelling it forward with effortless ease and grace. "Cold As Ice" features a dub-influenced bassline vamping underneath bubbling synthesizers, exotic percussion and disaffected vocals.

The spectrum of moods is impressive. "Quarantined" shows Cox at his most fragile, reiterating the line "I am waiting to be changed." But "Ativan" offers a glimmer of happiness, with a soaring guitar melody cascading around tales of a girl who "takes the time to listen" to everything Cox has to say.

The lyrics are mostly personal and provide a dark and dreary backdrop, but it's the resonant ambient music that remains the focus throughout. Many of the songs ("Ready Set Glow," "Small Horror," "Winter Vacation" and the closing title track) give off the feeling that Atlas Sound is playing inside a huge sonic vacuum, and it sounds as though the listener is hearing their music from a great distance. But this is perhaps a strength for Atlas Sound rather than a weakness as they carve an appealing path through the reverb-drenched woods of ambient music.

Verdict: As far as ambience goes, Atlas Sound delivers the goods without a hitch - and somehow manages to come off as accessible at the same time.

- John Barrett

MOUNTAIN GOATS

Heretic Pride

If the Mountain Goats are known for one thing, it has to be principal member John Darnielle's unfailing ability to sing loud and proud. "Heretic Pride" points the band in its typical direction of extra-literate streams of consciousness, but on a level where incredible hopefulness reigns supreme - abandoning lo-fi roots has never been more beneficial or beautiful.

The album is alive with vivid determination thanks to Darnielle's vivid lyrics and composition. He rings out in the album's opener, "I'm coming home to you if it's the last thing I do" and subsequently sets off on the road in the rambly rhythm of the following track "San Bernardino," sprinkled with plucking guitars and grandly orchestrated, captivatingly gorgeous strings.

The lyrics are brimming with confidence and earnestness, as Darnielle sings, "I feel so proud to be alive" aggressively against pianos and acoustic instruments on the LP's title track, appealing to pop and punk audiences with an ambitious attitude. The track "New Zion" takes it down a lovely level from the typical fare, colored with woodblock percussion, Hammond organ, half-time dubby rhythms, and perfectly soaring electric guitars.

It doesn't take much to be enamored with The Mountain Goats - just a big brain and a heart that can handle tunes painted with pleasantries, even when the pace of the album does become especially sluggish toward its conclusion.

However, when all is said and done, one has to appreciate the earnestness consistently encapsulated in all of Darnielle's heartfelt ditties.

VERDICT: Empowering and energetic folk rock for a great range of fans.

- Sami Promisloff

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