Fading Frontier

Genre: indie rock, dream pop

Indie stalwarts Deerhunter return with an album that shakes off some of the rough-edged grime of "Monomania". The lyrics generally deal with themes of mortality and finding comfort amidst confusion. These are catchy, dreamy tunes that are right up KZSU's alley.

Favorites: 7, 3, 5, 8, 1, 9. No FCCs.

1. (3:05) ** All The Same - Brief ambience then swivels into mid tempo dreamy indie rock. Picks up some grit and pace as the song progresses.
2. (3:49) Living My Life - Hazy chords and drum machine. Bright and poppy feel. In the last third of the song, Moses Archuleta’s snappy drumming elevates the mood.
3. (3:31) **** Breaker - Fabulous song. Catchy guitar playing with lyrics that match the track’s feel. Bradford Cox recounts his experience being badly injured from a car crash and the revelations that came from that experience. One of the best of 2015.
4. (2:40) Duplex Planet - 2 seconds silence then jumps right into the first verse. Cool harpsichord-y guitar tones. Nice harmonies in the back half of the song. Cox meditates on aging.
5. (4:12) ** Take Care - 6/4 drum machine beat sets up a restrained, dreamy intro. Shifts into gooey gorgeous guitar. Nice bridge that breathes a sense of space into the track.
6. (5:56) Leather And Wood - Very reminiscent of Cox’s solo work with Atlas Sound. Slower, simple melody and Cox’s voice moving in and out of effects. Feels like just waking up in the morning. Last ~minute synth fooling around outro.
7. (4:21) **** Snakeskin - YES. Slithering, slinky, funky track. Like of Montreal meets Deerhunter. Play this all day long.
8. (5:32) ** Ad Astra - Synth driven. The only track with Lockett Pundt on lead vocals. Majestic, dreamy. Bridge features some cool samples that float in and out before breaking into a triumphant finish. Ends with a sample from a 1928 folk song.
9. (2:58) ** Carrion - Midtempo indie rock. Cox searches for meaning in loss, finding it difficult to move on without isolating himself.