Review Summary: One of the best working bands today relaxes a little.
Pinning down
Weird Era Cont. as a set of "B-sides" or "throwaways" would be a move bound to get me some dirty glares from Deerhunter's most fervent fans, and, in a way, they would be right for shunning those who dismiss it in that manner:
Weird Era Cont. doesn't really feel like a "continuation" of
Microcastle (with which the album was a bonus disc), and it certainly doesn't
sound all that much like
Microcastle, either. However, as evident as this is, one can't shake the feeling that the band simply didn't spend all too much time on this one, simply giving a few of their songs lying around a "lo-fi" sheen and sending them off on their way.
The thing is, that's not necessarily a bad thing: Deerhunter, known for their often top-notch songwriting, are the type of band whose "B-sides" would kick the ass of many other indie band's singles, and
Weird Era Cont. indeed demonstrates this. Plus, after the heaviness of
Microcastle, it's nice to see the band simply jam around with what they've got and not worry all that much about the effect it has on the listener. Sometimes, the results are fantastic: shoegazer "Vox Celeste" shows the band rocking out like never before, letting the song's simple melodies fade into in a wash of fuzzy guitars and faint vocals (note: it's also the closest you'll get to a live Deerhunter show without actually attending one). The similarly titled "Vox Humana", with its "Be My Baby" drum intro and plinking pianos, is also a standout, in part because Cox's fantastic lyrical imagery comes off as oddly touching.
However,
Weird Era Cont. also has a lack of continuity about it, in stark contrast to
Microcastle. The band probably wouldn't have dared stick the thirty-second "Ghost Outfit" on the latter, the track simply consisting of a reversed sample with some uneasy bass notes interspersed. The song is somewhat pleasurable as it is, but it still feels like random and unnecessary--dare I say it--filler. Other, lengthier tracks are bound to be seen as less essential too, among them the frightening guitar loops of "Weird Era", which may slightly disconcert the listener, but probably won't interest them very much, either.
However, the standout tracks (opener "Backspace Century", both of the "Vox" tracks, the strangely hypnotizing "Slow Swords") make it all worth it in the end, and the band close the album on a smart note: with a kickass version of
Microcastle's "Cavalry Scars". On
Microcastle, the song was the first in a trilogy of quick, emotionally harrowing tracks. It was driven mostly by a simple guitar line, clicking noises, and Bradford Cox's agonizing lyrics ("crucified on a cross / in front of all my closest friends"). Here, the song loses its minimalist touch and is blown up completely, into a jangly shoegaze track that slowly builds momentum for about seven-and-a-half minutes, until its ambient ending safely floats the album to its end. Whether you prefer the succinct nature of the
Microcastle version shouldn't matter all too much; what does is that Deerhunter have successfully made an introverted song into an extroverted one: the song goes from shuffling its hands nervously to jumping up and down raucously.
This new version of "Cavalry Scars" perfectly demonstrates what Deerhunter are doing here: the band isn't trying to replace
Microcastle, or perhaps even improve on it.
Weird Era Cont. acts as a little gift to the fans, and, for those who stuck around, it is indeed rewarding. As any Deerhunter fan knows, even something as simple as a collection of "jam sessions" is worth something. A lot, even.
