Microcastle

Microcastle
Studio album by Deerhunter
Released	August 19, 2008 (digital release) October 28, 2008
Recorded	April, 2008 at Rare Book Room Studios, NY
Genre	Indie rock, shoegazing, ambient
Length	40:53
Label	Kranky, 4AD
Producer	Nicolas Vernhes
Deerhunter chronology
Fluorescent Grey EP (2007) Microcastle/Weird Era Cont. (2008) Rainwater Cassette Exchange (2009)
Singles from Microcastle
"Nothing Ever Happened" Released: October 14, 2008
Alternative cover

Microcastle is the third album by Deerhunter. After the album had been leaked on the internet, it became available on iTunes on August 19, 2008,^[1] while physical copies saw a release date of October 27, 2008.^[2] In the U.S. the album was released on Kranky and on 4AD in Europe. The album was recorded over the course of one week in April 2008 by Nicholas Vernhes at Rare Book Room Studios in Brooklyn, NY.^[3] In the U.S., the album has managed to sell over 50,000 units.^[4]

Unlike Cryptograms, the band decided to forgo heavy utilization of effects pedals. Throughout the recording of the record, only a number of drum tracks and the vocals on "Agoraphobia" were treated. Of the musical direction of the new material, Bradford Cox has said "I'm more interested in the micro-structure. I want things to be a lot shorter, I don't want there to be as much long-windedness to it." The band premiered the album live at Brooklyn's Market Hotel on April 11, 2008. A bonus disc, Weird Era Cont., was released concurrently with the album.

"Saved By Old Times" features an appearance by Cole Alexander of the Black Lips. His appearance was recorded over an iChat session.^[3]

Vinyl Versions

The original pressing of the vinyl on Kranky Records was one white vinyl LP, had a single panel jacket with different artwork than the CD (see alternate artwork), and came with Weird Era Cont. on CD in its own paper sleeve. Since the album has gained popularity, there has been another pressing, with both parts of the album being pressed on black vinyl in a gatefold jacket with the orange artwork originally used for the CD.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[5]
Blender	[6]
Drowned in Sound	9/10[7]
Los Angeles Times	[8]
Pitchfork Media	9.2/10[9]
PopMatters	7/10[10]
Rolling Stone	[11]
Slant	[12]
The Skinny	[13]
Tiny Mix Tapes	[14]
Sputnikmusic	[15]

Microcastle has been met with much acclaim since its release, currently holding a 81 rating on Metacritic.^[16] Both Tiny Mix Tapes^[14] and Sputnikmusic awarded the album with a perfect score.^[17] Spin,^[18] Billboard,^[19] The New York Times^[20] and The Guardian^[21] all gave the album an 8/10. Rolling Stone rewarded the album a 3.5 score, and RS contributor, Daniel Kreps listed Microcastle/Weird Era Cont. as his favorite album of 2008.^[22] Pitchfork Media also rated the album highly, naming the album 50th best record of the decade^[23] and 5th best of the year,^[24] along with awarding it with a 9.2 upon initial review.^[9] Pitchfork also named “Nothing Ever Happened” the 6th best song of the year^[25] and 81st best song of the decade.^[26] Popular online blogging site, Hype Machine rated the album as 11th best of the year.^[27] The album achieved a score of 8.5 on Review aggregator site AnyDecentMusic? and remains in its All Time Top 10 chart.^[28] In Transworld Skateboarding Magazine's review section, Austin Stephens reviewed the album and gave it a 4.5/5 score.

Track listing

All songs written by Bradford Cox, except where noted. Tracks 6-8 are part of a suite.

1. "Cover Me (Slowly)" (Cox, Pundt) - 1:21
2. "Agoraphobia" (Pundt) - 3:22
3. "Never Stops" - 3:04
4. "Little Kids" (Cox, Pundt) - 4:22
5. "Microcastle" - 3:40
6. "Calvary Scars" - 1:37
7. "Green Jacket" - 2:09
8. "Activa" - 1:49
9. "Nothing Ever Happened" (Fauver, Archuleta) - 5:50
10. "Saved by Old Times" - 3:50
11. "Neither of Us, Uncertainly" (Pundt) - 5:25
12. "Twilight at Carbon Lake" - 4:24

Personnel

Deerhunter

• Moses Archuleta - drums
• Bradford J. Cox - guitar, vocals
• Joshua Fauver - bass
• Lockett Pundt - guitar, vocals on "Agoraphobia" & "Neither of Us, Uncertainly"

Additional musicians

• Cole Alexander - vocal montage on "Saved By Old Times"^[3]
• Nicolas Vernhes - SK-1 on "Agoraphobia"

Technical Staff

• Joe Lambert - mastering
• Nicolas Verhes - producer, engineer

References

1. ^ Deerhunter's Microcastle Available Now on iTunes. Pitchfork. Retrieved on 2010-09-29.
2. ^ KRANK 127 - Deerhunter "Microcastle". Brainwashed.com. Retrieved on 2010-09-29.
3. ^ ^{a b c} "Deerhunter’s Microcastle Album Art & "Game Of Diamonds" (Demo)". Stereogum. http://stereogum.com/10948/deerhunters_microcastle_album_art_game_of_diamonds_demo/mp3///. Retrieved 2010-08-21. 
4. ^ Interview with Cam Lindsay, Exclaim! October Issue. url= http://exclaim.ca/articles/coverstory.aspx?csid1=148 {accessed September 29, 2010}
5. ^ ((( Microcastle > Overview ))). allmusic (2008-08-13). Retrieved on 2010-09-29.
6. ^ Microcastle. Blender (2008-10-28). Retrieved on 2010-09-29.
7. ^ Deerhunter - Microcastle / Releases // Drowned In Sound. Drownedinsound.com. Retrieved on 2010-09-29.
8. ^ "Pop & Hiss". The Los Angeles Times. October 28, 2008. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2008/10/album-review-de.html. 
9. ^ ^{a b} "Pitchfork Album Reviews: Deerhunter: Microcastle/Weird Era Cont.". Pitchfork Media. http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/12360-microcastle-weird-era-cont///. Retrieved 2010-08-21. 
10. ^ Deerhunter: Microcastles < PopMatters. Popmatters.com. Retrieved on 2010-09-29.
11. ^ Album Reviews. RollingStone.com (2010-09-21). Retrieved on 2010-09-29.
12. ^ Deerhunter. Microcastle, November 3, 2008
13. ^ Deerhunter - Microcastle. The Skinny (2008-10-13). Retrieved on 2010-09-29.
14. ^ ^{a b} "Deerhunter - Microcastle/Weird Era Cont. Music Review". Tiny Mix Tapes. http://www.tinymixtapes.com/music-review/deerhunter-microcastle-weird-era-cont//. Retrieved 2010-08-21. 
15. ^ [1]. Sputnikmusic (2008-10-22). Retrieved on 2010-10-8.
16. ^ hunter
17. ^ Deerhunter - Microcastle (staff review). Sputnikmusic. Retrieved on 2010-09-29.
18. ^ Reviews | Album Reviews, Concert Reviews. SPIN.com. Retrieved on 2010-09-29.
19. ^ [2]^{[dead link]}
20. ^ Pareles, Jon (November 23, 2008). "Major Chords, Massed Harmonies". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/23/arts/music/23play.html. 
21. ^ Lynskey, Dorian (December 19, 2008). "Deerhunter: Microcastle/Weird Era Cont". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/dec/19/deerhunter-microcastle-weird-era. 
22. ^ http://www.rollingstone.com/music/daily-blog/blogs/rsstaffblogpost_2008/43764/39509
23. ^ Staff Lists: The Top 200 Albums of the 2000s: 50-21. Pitchfork (2009-10-01). Retrieved on 2010-09-29.
24. ^ Staff Lists: The 50 Best Albums of 2008. Pitchfork (2008-12-19). Retrieved on 2010-09-29.
25. ^ Staff Lists: The 100 Best Tracks of 2008. Pitchfork (2008-12-15). Retrieved on 2010-09-29.
26. ^ Staff Lists: The Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s: 100-51. Pitchfork (2009-08-19). Retrieved on 2010-09-29.
27. ^ Top 50 Albums of 2008 / The Hype Machine. Hypem.com. Retrieved on 2010-09-29.
28. ^ Reviews of Microcastle by Deerhunter , collected by Any Decent Music. Anydecentmusic.com (2008-10-28). Retrieved on 2010-09-29.

External links

• Video of the group discussing and recording the album