Logos by Atlas Sound
LABEL: Kranky

To be perfectly honest, there’s almost no reason to even write a well-considered review for Atlas Sound’s latest, Logos. Without question, it can all be summed up in this one sentence:

You need to buy this album immediately.

With almost no disclaimers, Logos is a winner from start to finish and essentially proves as undisputable fact what we’ve all thought about Bradford Cox for the last few years—this freakish kid from Atlanta is one of the best artists of his generation. With a couple incredible Deerhunter efforts already on the books and better and better work under the Atlas Sound flag, it’s becoming increasingly clear Mr. Cox has the early hallmarks of becoming America’s most promising answer to Thom Yorke.

That said, Logos doesn’t exactly thrill from note one. On the contrary, it starts slow with some Twilight Singers-channeling experimental wandering and moves into material that sounds pretty similar to what you may know of Cox’s Deerhunter resume. It’s shoegazey and comfortable and emotive (and good) but it’s more or less what you’d expect to hear from a new Atlas Sound album.

But then “Walkabout” happens and you understand that what you’re listening to isn’t just another must-download indie album of the week that’ll end up collecting digital dust in your iTunes library—this is something that’s going to be on your iPod and your mixtapes and your mind for the next decade. You’re going to tell people about this one and feel really, really good about it. (Download this song for free below)

If the very best parts of Animal Collective and Deerhunter met at a Beach Boys tribute concert and fell in love and had a beautiful baby boy, “Walkabout” would be his name. The former band’s very talented Panda Bear provides what was clearly way more than the standard guest appearance on the track and the merger of these two freak rock minds produces nothing short of what sunshine and beer and naked women would sound like if you could convert all that awesome stuff into a song.

While the most sensational single comes early in the album, Logos certainly doesn’t let up one bit. The punchy romanticism of “Shelia” is likely to incite uncontrollable head bobbing and “Quick Canal” featuring Stereolab’s Laetita Saider is bubbling with beautiful bits of spacey electronics and the Frenchwoman’s signature dreamy vocals.

With 2009 slowly starting to give way to colder temperatures and department stores stocked full of Christmas decorations, year-end best-of lists will soon start rolling out on your favorite music sites and in the pages of better magazines very soon. Get ready to see a very deserving Logos near the top of them all.


REVIEWED BY ALEC BRINEGAR
ALEC'S FAVORITE TRACKS: "Walkabout" • "Quick Canal" • "Shelia"

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