Top Albums of 2008: Microcastle/Weird Era Cont.

via The Decibel Tolls

The last album on my chrono-ordered list, Deerhunter’s Microcastle/Weird Era Cont. was probably the biggest surprise for me this year. I’d never been a huge fan of Deerhunter because, well, I didn’t really get them. I liked Atlas Sound a lot, which I discovered earlier in the year, but I never got around to liking Cryptograms, the last Deerhunter album (I'm going to give it an honest try over the next few days). Then again, I used to like Panda Bear significantly more than I liked Animal Collective. With the leaks of “Brother Sport” and “My Girls” off the upcoming Merriweather Post Pavillion, that gap has narrowed. And, the same has happened to my opinion on Deerhunter vs. Atlas Sound with the release of Microcastle/Weird Era Cont..

As Ed Droste wrote on the Grizzly Bear blog, Deerhunter was a band that took him awhile to “get.” Apparently the time and effort was worth it because he self-proclaims himself as a #1 fan for life. While I had the albums loaded into my iTunes/iPod for months, I hadn’t really listened to much of them. There was the time when “Agoraphobia” starting playing while my playlist was on shuffle, and the song caught my attention by being melodic, simple, and unadulterated by copious amounts of pedal effects/other sound smearers, all qualities that I would consider to be un-Deerhunter. Still, I didn’t give the albums a proper go until a couple days after Thanksgiving, when I found myself at O’Hare Airport without a book or a magazine. Oh man, “Agoraphobia” was only the beginning of my affair with these albums. By the time I discovered “Nothing Ever Happened,” “Saved by Old Times,” and “Operation,” I could hardly contain myself in my uncomfortable airport chair. Yes, I was jamming in an airport by myself in the wee hours of the morning. I need to see this band in an indoor setting so that I can have a pseudo-religious experience like Ed did.

On a side note, where has this Fluorescent Grey EP been all my life? I had it all this time, and I never really listened to it. I'm really digging this right now.

Agoraphobia - Deerhunter


Nothing Ever Happened - Deerhunter


Saved By Old Times - Deerhunter




Other Top Albums of 2008:
A Reflection
Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
Atlas Sound - Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel
The Dodos - Visiter
Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes/Sun Giant EP
The Walkmen - You & Me
Ra Ra Riot - The Rhumb Line
TV on the Radio - Dear Science
Department of Eagles - In Ear Park