Atlas Sound

Despite the pretentious title, Deerhunter's Bradford Cox has stepped away from the hyper-psychedelic sounds of his day band and into the realm of electronica. Most of LTBLTWCSBCF is done through various samples, where Cox intentionally wants to build layers upon layers of warm, atmospheric sounding loops.

If you're not one for replication, this would probably drive you crazy. Each tune pretty much relies on a steady stream of echo-ey sounding repetition. But what saves Cox from drifting into typical bedroom laptop drivel (and forcing his listeners to go with him), is that the album was recorded with several real instruments, from which the samples were then created. It's patient electronic music for those who gravitate more towards rock.

It seems that there are two types of songs: the "main ones" and the "connectors." Interspersed throughout are tunes that lack a strict rhythm, and often sound like filler. Cox likes to distort his voice into something that sounds far away and creepy at times. But those tracks serve as ways to get to the more substantial pieces. There's the bouncey, percussion driven "Cold As Ice," that features Cox's penache for repetition, while "Real Bedroom" conjures up a bit of shoe-gazey fuzz, slowly building momentum over a steady four minutes. And the jangly "Bite Marks" and "Ativan" recalls the dark, dissonant pop that the Jesus and Mary Chain excelled at.

Let the Blind... isn't for everyone, but ultimately suggests there's a promising solo career down the line for Cox, especially considering this is what he does in his spare time.

—Michael D. Ayers
04.03.08

Atlas Sound may be Bradford Cox's solo project, but it's clear after just one listen that there's not much that separates Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel from Cox's main concentration, Deerhunter. The same filtered and treated guitars, tapes, and percussion make and wind their way around in eerie yet lush arrangements as Cox sings repeated phrases that eventually fade out into hushed chords and murmurings. The difference, however -- and it is a difference that means a lot -- is that Cox is much more focused here, and though the album certainly fits easily and well into post-rock, he's able to better control the instrumental meandering that at times would drag down Cryptograms. Instead of acting as the default sound, it represents a conscious decision, a gentle contrast that complements and strengthens the whole, and the attention that he allows his voice (the timbre of which can, as in the warm, Daedelus-esque "Cold as Ice" or the gentle "Winter Vacation," sound downright Björk-ish) allows the more instrumentally focused pieces to acquire greater meaning. The vocals, too, when they exist, are given more priority in the mix, an emphasis that shows what a compelling singer he actually is. "Quarantined," for example, has only two lyrical lines ("Quarantined and kept so far away from my friends/I'm waiting to be changed"), but the subtle emotion that can be heard in Cox's enunciation makes it one of the best and most powerful tracks on the entire album. The album's not faultless: as with Deerhunter, Cox has the tendency to try too hard to be profound (take the title -- or the title track -- for example), wanting so badly to say something important that he sounds trite and forced, and untrustworthy, but when he's able to forget about conveying some kind of meaning and instead focuses on the actual music, his message -- one of pain and love and feeling lost, of trying desperately to understand -- is undeniable. ~ Marisa Brown, All Music Guide