“Isn’t”… in a good way.

Deerhunter’s promo campaign was covert and clever and involved a little person. This only serves to highlight my anger and dejection at having not been a part of it. I missed it! I missed the opportunity to be part of the brilliant xerox art poster posting challenge and the chance to scotch tape pictures of one of my favorite bands all over the cow sheds and tractors and shooting ranges (I am kind of lying here… there is actually only one shooting range, but I hate varying quantifiers in lists) of my sleepy German town.

Fortunately however, despite my inaction/ignorance I have still had the truly enjoyable experience to listening to the new single off of what will undoubtedly be the aptly titled ‘Halcyon Digest’. After last years release of the almost flawlessly beautiful ‘Rainwater Cassette Exchange’ I have waited with bated breath for any small hint of Deerhunter’s impending LP. I wondered which of the diverse and novel musical elements presented in the EP would translate to the full length album.

“Revival” is many things. It includes many of the percussive elements I loved in songs like “Rainwater Cassette Exchange” and “Game of Diamonds and gives the song and admirable groovy-ness. The vocals, although not totally clean are much more clear and crisp than previous efforts. These elements compound to create a dreamy yet lucid and surprisingly accessible listen.

However none of the things I’ve just written really express the images I see while listening to this song (cue “Dancing about architecture” quote interchangeably attributed to Miles Davis, Elvis Costello or Frank Zappa… this is a fun fact), so I will describe said images via the medium of language.

Bradford and Co. are fasting on a Mesa  (a side note: they are wearing ponchos). You can tell they are fasting because the thought bubbles above their heads contain nothing but big-macs and carrot cake and other such cholesterol rich comestibles. Every night they make a fire and wait for a “great spirit” descend upon them. It never does. They weep. Although their persistence is admirable, enlightenment only comes when one of the Deerhunter men catches sight of his friend in the clear blue water surrounding the flat mountain. They raise their hands, rejoicing in their connection to the greater consciousness through their acknowledgment of being lesser parts of a whole. Bright glowing light shines from their pores like splashing rain and engulfs them. It spreads over the mesa, and then the countryside and then the whole world. It is beautiful. Everyone hugs everyone else. The end.

So. Ahem. That was weird; but it’s the best I can do at the moment. This song isn’t your typical Deerhunter, but it “isn’t” in a good way. I suppose the title “Revival” is quite appropriate and, come to think of it, song titles serve more than a decorative purpose.

Revival – Deerhunter