Parallax (Atlas Sound Album)

''Parallax'' is the third studio album from Bradford Cox's solo project Atlas Sound, released November 7, 2011 on 4AD. The album debuted at #97 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and has received critical acclaim. Parallax - Atlas Sound Billboard.com. Retrieved 18 November 2011

Album title

After ''Parallax'' was recorded, Bradford Cox was forced to continue touring with Deerhunter, which ended up being so stressful for Cox that it caused him to have a nervous breakdown. Cox related album's title to his lifestyle, saying:

Recording

Production duties were handled by Cox and previous Deerhunter producer Nicolas Vernhes. The album was assembled at the end of a Deerhunter tour and was mostly recorded at Nicholas Vernhes' studio, Rare Book Room Studios
in Brooklyn, NY.Parallax by Atlas Sound
4AD. Retrieved 6 November 2011.Fitzmaurice, Larry
Interviews: Bradford Cox
Pitchfork Media. 10 November 2011. Retrieved 10 November 2011. Two of the album's tracks ("Flagstaff" and "Terra Incognita") were recorded by Cox himself in his hotel room at the Ace Hotel in New York as a result of limited studio time.Walters, Carrie
CMJ 2011: Atlas Sound @ Ace Hotel
. WVAU.org. 14 November 2011. Retrieved 21 November 2011. 4AD also launched a website, depicting an image of Cox in Manhattan's Central Park, similar to the artwork of his two previous releases, his face is obscured by a lens flare. The website lists the genre as "Science Fiction."Atlas Sound - Parallax
4AD. Retrieved 7 November 2011. Cox dedicated the album to the late Trish Keenan of Broadcast, who had died earlier in 2011.

The artwork features a photograph of Bradford Cox taken by Mick Rock, who had previously shot photographs for albums such as '' Raw Power'', '' The Madcap Laughs'', and '' Transformer''.Fitzmaurice, Larry
Atlas Sound Announces New Album
Pitchfork Media. 24 August 2011. Retrieved 7 November 2011. Cox met Rock through Michael Stipe and the two quickly became friends. The cover's artwork was meant to reflect the influence classic rock and rock and roll had on Cox when he recorded the album.Atlas Sound's New Record, Parallax, Released Today
4AD. 7 November 2011. Retrieved 14 November 2011. Unlike previous Atlas Sound album covers, ''Parallaxs cover did not feature faces obscured by a lens flare. By not covering his face with a flare, Cox felt that the album cover effectively conveyed the loneliness he experienced creating the album.

Release

The album was announced on August 24, 2011. Prior the album's release, more than half the album's songs were made officially available for streaming and/or download. Two demos of "Mona Lisa" were originally released on the third volume of the Bedroom Databank series that Cox had released on the Deerhunter blog in 2010.ATLAS SOUND: BEDROOM DATABANK VOL. 3
Blogspot. 24 November 2010. Retrieved 7 November 2011Katzif, Michael
Atlas Sound: A Pop Gem, At Long Last
NPR. 15 November 2011. Retrieved 15 November 2011. "Te Amo," (originally known as "Untitled") and "Flagstaff" have appeared in live Atlas Sound sets for about a year.Atlas Sound: February 3, 2010 Bell House – Flac and MP3 Downloads
nyctaper.com. 2 May 2010. Retrieved 6 November 2011.

"Terra Incognita" was the first track available to coincide with the album's announcement. "Te Amo," "Modern Aquatic Nightsongs," "Amplifiers," "The Shakes," "Lightworks," "Praying Man," and "Flagstaff," all followed. Some were made exclusively available through websites such as the online retailer Amazon,Muir, Ryan
Atlas Sound – “Flagstaff”
Stereogum. 21 October 2011. Retrieved 6 November 2011. radio station KEXP's blogBeckmann, Jim
New Atlas Sound track: “Praying Man” world premiere!
KEXP. 21 October 2011. Retrieved 6 November 2011. and music blogs Gorilla vs. BearAtlas Sound – “Modern Aquatic Nightsongs”
Gorilla vs. Bear. 23 September 2011. Retrieved 6 November 2011. and Fluxblog. On November 2, 2011, the whole album was streamed on the New York Times website.Brown, Jacob
Now Playing , ‘Parallax,’ the New Album by Atlas Sound
New York Times. 2 November 2011. Retrieved 7 November 2011

"Parallax," the album's first single, was released on October 24, 2011. It was backed with the b-side "Oh, Ricky."Parallax/Oh Ricky by Atlas Sound
4AD. Retrieved 7 November 2011.

Reception

''Parallax'' received positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 82, based on 34 reviews, indicating "Universal acclaim".

'' Allmusic'' writer Heather Phares awarded the album a grade of four stars out of five, writing: "It's a quietly satisfying album with a determined fragility that makes it all the more moving." '' Rolling Stone'' gave the album three-and-half-stars out of five and noted: "Cox values songwriting ahead of texture these days, and the effort is paying off." '' The A.V. Clubs David Greenwald praised the album's more accessible sound, writing, "It's a brilliant feat: to make a record about distance, Cox has written the most effortlessly approachable music of his career. " '' Popmatters'' writer Daniel Tebo gave the album a very positive review and rated it 9 out of 10 and wrote: "It's a fitting conclusion to a near perfect album that finds an artist expanding his musical palate without sacrificing an ounce of himself in the process." ''musicOMH'' writer, Max Raymond called it "Atlas Sound's best album to date" and said: "This is easily the most satisfying and rewarding set of songs that Cox has written in any of his projects and it'll be a tough ask to top it." ''Drowned in Sound'' was also positive on the album and said: "Moments of genuine marvel, each one craving its own flowery descriptives, come thick and fast." ''Spin'' magazine's Marc Hogan gave it a very positive review, writing "A sci-fi tint shifts the perspective from Atlas Sound's usual layered introspection: Inner space now has become outer space." '' Tiny Mix Tapes'' writer Conrad Tao was also positive on the album and gave it four stars out of five and wrote: "Thankfully, such peeks of inhibition are brief, and Cox spends far more time confidently beckoning us into the glorious world he's created. For the first time, this is a place where we're to be cohabitants, not merely invitees." Loren Auda Poin from '' Filter'' gave it a positive review with 83% and wrote: "With each Atlas Sound release, the sonic effects become more interwoven, intense and impressive, and truly no one else could be writing these songs the way Cox does." '' Under The Radar'' was also positive on the album and rated it 7 out of 10 and wrote: "While too restrained overall to match the tie-dyed brilliance of Logos, Parallax's subtle charms demonstrate that Cox's musical id is still alive and kicking."

Several critics noted the album's more consistent sound. '' Clash'' magazine described the album as "a more refined listen" compared to ''Logos.'' Nick Neyland of '' Pitchfork'' gave the album a "Best New Music" designation, writing "''Parallax'' feels like a more complete work than any other Atlas Sound record, with the differences between the songs less distinct and everything flowing together more naturally." ''No Ripcords Andrew Baer also praised the album's consistency, writing "Cox sounds comfortable and confident, and has made the best solo album of his prolific career."Baer, Andrew
Atlas Sound: Parallax
No Ripcord. 9 November 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2011. '' BBC'' music was called ''Parallax'' "Cox's most coherent record to date," continuing: "it's harder to spotlight individual tracks, but individual settings stand out. Jeremy D. Larson of '' Consequence of Sound'' awarded the album with four-and-half-stars out of five and said: "What makes Parallax a fully realized album is, in contrast to its compact musicality, the expanses and voids Cox explores."

Not all reviews were entirely positive, though. Sputnikmusic writer Robin Smith was more ambivalent to the album, writing "Parallax, unrealised masterpiece or not, sounds like the man in his bedroom with a thousand songs to leave unexplained." Jonathan Donaldson of The Phoenix wrote "Yet even when relying less on atmospheric synths and playing with a full-band set up ("The Shakes"), Parallax misses early rock's tautness and grit." Daniel Becker of Dusted Reviews felt the album was "sparer than usual, flimsier, subtler," writing "These songs aren’t weighty enough, individually or cumulatively, to leave an imprint — they fail to make a world out of themselves, leaving instead snatches of place, time of day, lighting conditions."Becker, Daniel
Atlas Sound - Parallax
Dusted Reviews. Retrieved 11 November 2011.

'' Pitchfork'' placed the album at number 18 on its list of the "Top 50 albums of 2011".

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from ''Allmusic'':Parallax - Credits
Allmusic. Retrieved 10 November 2011.

* Bradford Cox - Electric bass, Collage, Drums, Guitar, Acoustic guitar, Electric guitar, Instrumentation, Keyboards, Organ, Percussion, Piano, Rhythm Box, Sequencers, Synthesizer, Synthesizer bass, Tapes, Telecaster, Treatments, Vocal Drone, Vocals, Wurlitzer
* Paul McPherson - Cabasa, Hi-hat, Wood block
* Carrie-Anne Murphy - Saxophone
* Andrew VanWyngarden - Organ, Piano, Vocals (Background)

;Production
* Bradford Cox - engineer, composer, producer, programming
* Nicolas Vernhes - engineer, mixing, producer, programming

;Additional personnel
* Mick Rock - cover photo, photography
* Liz Vao - photo production
* Kari Bauce - grooming

Charts

External links

4AD Parallax Website
*

References

{{Authority control

2011 albums
Bradford Cox albums
4AD albums