''Halcyon Digest'' is the fifth studio album by American
indie rock
Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produc ...
band
Deerhunter. It was released September 27, 2010
to universal critical acclaim. It was the band's first album distributed solely by
4AD
4AD is a British record label owned by Beggars Group. It was founded in London under the name "Axis" (after the Hendrix album) by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent in 1980 as an imprint of Beggars Banquet Records. The name was changed to 4AD a ...
worldwide (previously 4AD only handled overseas distribution while
Kranky handled it within the U.S.) The album was produced by the band and Ben H. Allen, and was recorded at Chase Park Transduction studios in Athens, Georgia with engineer
David Barbe
David Barbe (pronounced ˈbɑɹ.bi BAR-bee; born September 30, 1963) is an American musician and producer/engineer from Athens, Georgia and director of the Music Business Certificate Program at the University of Georgia. He is chief of Chase Pa ...
.
The final track, "He Would Have Laughed" was recorded separately by
Bradford Cox
Bradford James Cox (born May 15, 1982) is an American singer-songwriter and musician, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the indie rock band Deerhunter. He also pursues a solo career under the moniker Atlas Sound.
Cox formed Deerh ...
at Notown Sound in
Marietta, Georgia
Marietta is a city in and the county seat of Cobb County, Georgia, United States. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 60,972. The 2019 estimate was 60,867, making it one of Atlanta's largest suburbs. Marietta is the fourth larges ...
and is a tribute to
Jay Reatard
James Lee Lindsey Jr. (May 1, 1980 – January 13, 2010), known professionally as Jay Reatard, was an American musician from Memphis, Tennessee. He was signed to Matador Records. He released recordings as a solo artist and as a member of the Rea ...
.
It is the band's last album to feature bass guitarist
Josh Fauver.
Concept
Writing on his
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...
profile page, Cox stated "The album's title is a reference to a collection of fond memories and even invented ones, like my friendship with
Ricky Wilson or the fact that I live in an abandoned victorian
autoharp factory. The way that we write and rewrite and edit our memories to be a digest version of what we want to remember, and how that's kind of sad."
Answering the
Q magazine
''Q'' was a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1986 by broadcast journalists Mark Ellen and David Hepworth, who were presenters of the BBC television music series '' The Old Grey Whistle Test''. ...
question as to whether the album was "...supposed to sound like a newsletter or bulletin board from somewhere mysterious", Bradford Cox said: "It's supposed to be like a collection of short dispatches". He called the use of the word 'Halcyon' misleading, adding: "It has a lot to do with the way people romanticize the past, even if it was horrific."
The album artwork was provided by renowned Atlanta photographer
George Mitchell. Deerhunter drummer, Moses Archuleta, initially suggested a "stark black and white theme" with Cox ultimately selecting Mitchell's photograph because "it had an immediate connection to the music, especially songs like 'Basement Scene'."
["IN THE HEADLIGHTS Deerhunter" ](_blank)
, Blurt Magazine. Retrieved 2010-10-21.
The picture portrays Dennis Dinion, a contestant in The Miss Star Lite Pageant at the Star Lite Lounge on Ponce de Leon Avenue in Atlanta, Georgia. It was shot by Mitchell on New Year's Eve, December 31, 1982, the last night the Star Lite was open. Dennis Dinion worked as a substitute teacher in the Atlanta Public Schools.
[Deerhunter CD cover]
/ref> Bradford Cox described the artwork during an Instagram live on October 31, 2018, saying that a book fell off the shelf and opened to this page and he felt it was fate. It was a photo book of the Ponce de Leon area in Atlanta. Cox spent time in his childhood near the Star Lite Lounge; he was just a few months old the night of the Miss Star Lite Pageant.
Promotion
To help promote the release of the LP, the group launched a new website where they urged fans to download a promotional flyer (created by Cox by photocopying images together) and email pictures of it "hanging in your town, neighborhood, bedrooms, etc." To reward those who had emailed photos, the band revealed the track listing and album artwork via email. The first single, "Revival," along with some unused demos and b-side "Primitive 3D" were also made available to fans who had posted flyers. "Helicopter" was later released as a single with a video available on September 8.
About the flyer concept, Cox stated he was inspired by the record promotion he witnessed in the 80s. He recalls:
Reception
''Halcyon Digest'' received widespread acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 86, based on 33 reviews, indicating "Universal Acclaim". It ranked second in Exclaim!'s Pop & Rock Albums of the Year where Cam Lindsay credits Deerhunter with continuing their "impressive streak as one of the more consistent sonic explorer's icwithin the indie rock canon." The album also appeared at #3 on ''Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...
''s 50 Greatest Albums of 2010, where Rob Mitchum writes that the work's rough-yet-shimmery production and existential theme "demonstrates that the ache of mortality can be even more wounding in the bright glare of daytime than late at night."
The album was also included in the 2010 edition of the book ''1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
''1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die'' is a musical reference book first published in 2005 by Universe Publishing. Part of the ''1001 Before You Die'' series, it compiles writings and information on albums chosen by a panel of music critics ...
''.
The album was ranked the 3rd best album from 2010-2014, and 29th best in the 2010s in lists published by ''Pitchfork''.
Track listing
Personnel
Credits adapted from ''Allmusic'' and album liner notes.
;Deerhunter
*Moses Archuleta
Moses Archuleta is an American drummer and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known as the drummer, occasional keyboardist and co-founder of the indie rock band Deerhunter, with whom he has recorded seven studio albums.
Archuleta also records so ...
– drums
* Bradford J. Cox – lead vocals, guitar
* Joshua Fauver – bass
* Lockett Pundt – guitar, lead vocals (6, 9)
;Additional musicians
*Bill Oglesby – saxophone (''9'' and ''10'')
*Paul McPherson – 12 string guitar (''10'')
;Recording personnel
*Ben H. Allen – producer, mixing, overdubs, additional production (''11'')
*Deerhunter – producer
*David Barbe
David Barbe (pronounced ˈbɑɹ.bi BAR-bee; born September 30, 1963) is an American musician and producer/engineer from Athens, Georgia and director of the Music Business Certificate Program at the University of Georgia. He is chief of Chase Pa ...
– engineer, mixing (''7'')
*Drew Vandenberg – assistant engineer
*Rocbert Gardner – mixing assistant
*Henry Barbe – producer and engineer (''7'')
*Winston Barbe – assistant engineer (''7''), intern
*David Barbe – mixing (''7'')
*Bradford Cox
Bradford James Cox (born May 15, 1982) is an American singer-songwriter and musician, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the indie rock band Deerhunter. He also pursues a solo career under the moniker Atlas Sound.
Cox formed Deerh ...
– recording (''11'')
*Joe Lambert – mastering
*Yousuf Ahmed – intern
*Matt Tuttle – intern
*Paul McPherson – assistant to the band
;Artwork
* George Mitchell – cover photo, photography
*Dennis Dinion – model
*Bradford Cox
Bradford James Cox (born May 15, 1982) is an American singer-songwriter and musician, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the indie rock band Deerhunter. He also pursues a solo career under the moniker Atlas Sound.
Cox formed Deerh ...
– typography, layout, design, additional artwork
*Will Govus – inside photo
*Deerhunter – photography
*Dan Gallo – layout assistance
Chart positions
As of 2011 it has sold 59,879 copies in United States according to Nielsen SoundScan.
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Deerhunter albums
2010 albums
4AD albums