Atlas Sound

Atlas Sound's Bradford Cox

Who? Named after the tape machine he's been recording on since sixth grade, Atlas Sound is the side project and recording alias of Deerhunter frontman Bradford Cox. Although his main band toured almost non-stop throughout 2007, workaholic Cox somehow found time to get in a recording studio and lay down the tracks that make up his forthcoming debut, Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel, out Feb. 19 via the Kranky label.

What's The Deal? A more electronic-oriented project than Deerhunter, Let the Blind Lead is a swirling ambient journey through Cox's mind, as well as his record collection. The massive distorted guitar chords and delay-treated vocals in "Recent Bedroom" are immediately reminiscent of Loveless-era My Bloody Valentine; elsewhere, thumping bass and twinkling bells create a Björk-esque soundscape on "Quarantined." One would refer to Atlas Sound's music as shoegaze -- that is, if Cox wasn't so intent on causing the listener to gaze straight ahead instead of looking down, as evidenced in the disorienting static stutters and acoustic strums in "Ready Set Glow."

Fun Fact As a little kid, Bradford Cox was kicked out of the Boy Scouts of America. He was asked to leave by the hut master because he, as Cox tells SPIN.com, "wasn't like the other boys."

Now Hear This
Atlas Sound - "Quarantined" DOWNLOAD MP3

On the Web:
Atlas Sound at MySpace
deerhuntertheband.blogspot.com