Deerhunter – Rainwater Cassette Exchange EP – Kranky! [Album Review]

Deerhunter have been on my mind a lot lately, and I’m pretty sure I’m not alone. I listened to Microcastle the other day after refraining for awhile. I was cleaning the kitchen and I needed motivation.

“Nothing Ever Happened” provided more than enough of a booster-charge to make me forget about my chores, and the rest, while all over the map in terms of tempo and temperament, did the trick as well. 

Then I popped in Weird Era Cont and really, really fell in love all over again; it might be even better than Microcastle (I know this has been said a lot but it’s been said a lot for a reason, goddamnit).

Now Rainwater Cassette Exchange shows up at record shops and it’s like I’ve been booted in the ballsack by Balzac; I’m defenseless and at the mercy of a mad genius.

RCE doesn’t waste any time crawling up in your mindhole. 

The tropical titular track with an odd clippety-cloppity bounce makes me feel like Microcastle/Weird Era Cont never ended, as does the urgent fast-forward Interpol jangle of “Disappearing Ink.” It gives us more of that good bass-guitar lovin’ Deerhunter are always good for and balances its books with twinkling guitar leads and a quickie drum beat.

“Famous Last Words” keeps the brisk pace as the last tune on Side 1, and it couldn’t sound crisper at 45 RPM (HA! Didn’t make that mistake this time, biatch). The ghostly synth lines are yet another outgrowth of Bradford Cox‘ ever-expanding arsenal … the rest of it sounds like vintage D-hunter. That’s good!

Side 2 only totes two tunes; that’s bad. Its first offering, “Game of Diamonds,” arrives at the indie-rock party replete with hand drums, acoustic strums and that signature voice that can only mean Cox (literally, not figuratively). That’s good!

“Diamonds” loses its bearings and peters out quickly. That’s bad. 

I could go on like this forever, tit-for-tatting the new Deerhunter release and getting all scientific, but let’s get down to brass tacks here: B. Cox is like one of those criminal masterminds in Comic Book movies, scheming behind the scenes at some dark-purple lair and emerging every so often to turn the minds of his constituency to lemon-pink Jell-O.

Can you imagine a more consistently astounding voice? Cox has unleashed a veritable sandstorm on the p4k crowd, his gaunt, hollow frame becoming as synonymous with underground rock as douchebags with carry-alls and dark-framed glasses. The Atlas Sound 2XLP had some deadwood snuck in amongst the supreme product, but it too has that luster that’s almost impossible to pin down, that certain ZING-BAM-BOOM.

Cox is Mega Man. Or Batman. Or … Green Lantern? 

Whatever faggy superhero you choose Cox’ got indie-rock locked down. Throw in the pre-Cryptograms stuff and the Lotus Plaza LP — not to mention Black Lips, Dan Deacon, Broadcast (current tourmates), Mexcellent, Panda Bear (whom recently worked with Cox; listen HERE) and other collaborators — and you have not only a scene but a Happening, if memory serves.

What’s next? New Atlas Sound. Let’s hope Cox and his pals keep the hectic release schedule rollin’ baby, ROLLIN’.