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 | Tracklist:
1. The Shakes
2. Amplifiers
3. Te Amo
4. Parallax
5. Modern Aquatic Nightsongs
6. Mona Lisa
7. Praying Man
8. Doldrums
9. My Angel Is Broken
10. Terra Incognita
11. Flagstaff
12. Lightworks
| Ranking: #140 for 2011 | |
| | other reviews | Jacob Royal (4)
Cox’s newest release is an ever-changing mold of what we want it to be, and if we allow it time it... |
On 26 Lists
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| Summary: you're always down. |
Bradford Cox is more comfortable with the lights off. Parallax is proof of that; on the cover of Logos he was pictured faceless, but here he’s in the dark. It feels like a big statement to make- here is a man and his microphone, literally clutching to music- but it also seems like a resoundingly ambiguous one: is this image of Cox stepping out of the shadow, shedding the discomfort that’s put weight on songs like “Agoraphobia,” or is he hiding in it?
For all the ambiguity, Parallax feels like another hiding place. He circulates the happy piano notes of “Te Amo” as some whacky detour from the horrible conversation he is having with himself. Talk about misdirection: “you’re always down.” In a way, “Te Amo” is much like the angriest of Bob Dylan songs, a “Positively Fourth Street” or “Rolling Stone,” in how much of a contradiction it is. Like those songs, it’s practically glowing, the noises moving in a dreamy, euphoric sequence but the lyrics out of step, their delivery chilling and hell, even the distracting album artwork putting the lights out.
The fact that Cox can make a song like this is a testament to how intriguing his career is. Deerhunter could lend themselves Strokes comparisons and little else if it weren’t for the way Cox writes music as conflict. It’s hard to remember Halcyon Digest, a year on, in the way I thought of it then; thinking it was a ‘celebration’ sums up how easy it is to forget the depth in any of Cox’s Deerhunter songs, no matter how comfortable they feel as pop songs. “Coronado” was another one that glowed, but behind the slick sax solos there was a confused man of so many questions and so few answers. That’s the kind of thing that draws you in to the “catchy” Microcastle and Halcyon Digest- the little conflicts- and so how can we not be drawn into the dark spaces in Parallax?
And I certainly am drawn to Parallax. I find it impossible to stop coming back to “Te Amo” and its bittersweet flips of the coin, but at the same time I’m completely intrigued by how impossible Cox makes it to grasp at his intentions on “Modern Aquatic Nightsongs.” The difference, though, is split: “Te Amo” is a working pop song, but I’m not sure Cox wants that so much this time around. Logos had a melodic bent and exciting features that made every adoring indie fan giddy (Panda Bear, say no more), but Parallax is made in some sort of endless vacuum of nothing but Cox.
As a result, it might feel more like a proper album, and maybe even the “comfortable” album we’ve been waiting for Cox to make. But this is only an album in how impossible it is to appreciate out of its context. No “Angel is Broken,” no point in the comedown that follows it in “Terra Incognita.” As for the comfort Cox may have finally found in Parallax, he only finds it in the obscure, the impossible to describe, and the ever-moving. Parallax never stays in one place for too long, regardless of how pretty it remains throughout its entire run. There is no revealing the world behind “Praying Man” or “Parallax” in the same way “Coronado” revealed more than simply a pop genius. Instead, Parallax comes with its own set of intentions, and few of them feel for us.
And for that reason, that lack of inclusion, there’s no rating I can find to do Parallax justice. It feels like a wholly unique masterpiece in ways, perhaps because it is simply impossible to shut off- there’s no turning away from this aching, mysterious music, and even the most basic tracks feel justified by the ominous things happening around the corners. But coming off the open Halcyon Digest, Bradford Cox has turned sharply on his heels for a different type of honesty. And by no means think that because Cox obscures himself he must be disingenuous. That’s never been his problem. But Parallax, unrealised masterpiece or not, sounds like the man in his bedroom with a thousand songs to leave unexplained.
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| Recent reviews by this author | | | |
really don't know about the rating so alternatively: 4.5
Digging: toe - The Book About My Idle Plot on a Vague Anxiety
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i like this reviewer
i haven't heard this yet
i've been paranoid about downloading music recently and i don't know why*
*i don't actually download music
| | | Album Rating: 3.5 | Sound Off
Very good review! :] However, this does read a bit higher than a 3 to me.
Digging: Ne Obliviscaris - Portal of I | | |
all this will turn to ash
a change for a peace of mind
Digging: Marina and The Diamonds - Electra Heart
| | | Album Rating: 5
I honestly don't see the point of you writing a review if you are still so unsure about it. I couldn't really get much out of the review. Personally I love this thing, it does take a few listens to fully appreciate it.
Digging: alt-j - An Awesome Wave Digging: alt-j - An Awesome Wave | | |
Dear Robin Smith,
This was an amazing review; I definitely learned lots from it. Also, your rating seems...dare I say it, utterly strange in light of the tone of your review.
Still, *mindpos*
Digging: My Bloody Valentine - Loveless Digging: My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
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@ Wildorwhat: Read more reviews dude - you'll find this happens quite a lot, both on this site and outside it.
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thank you
Digging: Mount Eerie - Clear Moon Digging: Mount Eerie - Clear Moon
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
like this record a lot robin
Digging: Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music Digging: Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music | | | Album Rating: 4.5
I am enjoying this record way too much for the scores you guys are giving it...
Still a great review. i find myself agreeing with the ending of this review completely, it's interesting, the two
different conclusions we come to based off the same reaction .
Digging: Josh Garrels - Love and War and The Sea In Between Digging: Josh Garrels - Love and War and The Sea In Between | | | Album Rating: 3.5
wut
Digging: Simian Mobile Disco - Unpatterns Digging: Simian Mobile Disco - Unpatterns | | |
parallax: the hypersleep dialogues
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Well, now, I have to get this.
Digging: Meshuggah - Koloss
| | | Album Rating: 4
This is a great album. I would recommend it to everyone!
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I honestly don't see the point of you writing a review if you are still so unsure about it. I couldn't really get much out of the review. Personally I love this thing, it does take a few listens to fully appreciate it.
i can understand this critisism, especially since you're so in love with the record. just wanted to give my views tho.
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this will decidedly rule
| | | Album Rating: 3
Probably a 3 or 3.5 from me. Leaning more towards a 3 because it is really, really boring in parts. Dry, even.
Digging: Suis La Lune - Riala | | | Album Rating: 2.5
"there’s no turning away from this aching, mysterious music"
I did it quite easily, the more I listen to the album the worse it gets. It feels more like an image of interesting music rather than the reality - there's no depth to it.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5 | Sound Off
I definitely disagree with that; at first it felt like a muddled mess, but it seems to come together with repeated listens
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
found this pretty easy to get into in truth.
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