You can’t help but love Bradford Cox. With every musician and their pet throwing around an album here, and a song there for free, it’s impossible to not appreciate the internet and it’s ability to distribute music. However, it’s a shame when musicians really limit their content to EP and LP releases, and while fans can only really be lucky and grateful for any extra material they may receive, there’s a common consensus – nay – expectation, that there should be a greater output of creativity as the internet has almost redefined the term ‘convenience’. It’s no secret that Cox loves sharing his works, with songs being released on the Deerhunter blog at an overwhelming rate. So, it’s really no surprise to see a bonus EP to accompany his second solo album, Logos.
The Rough Trade EP, a bonus disc for those who ordered the album, is a compilation of fresh, unique renditions of existing songs, new tracks, and an Elizabeth Cotton cover, that only Bradford could get away with. While the EP isn’t necessarily some of the most outstanding music, it rather compliments the album in a small way, offering new insights into the creative process of Atlas Sound. Daydream “Criminals” is presented in an electronic format, with computerised drums establishing a new precedent for the already beautiful track, while fan favourite “Kid Klimax” is stripped to its bare essentials as Bradford moans alone with his guitar.
The new tracks will not be anything necessarily new to devout Cox fans, with these songs seeing the light of day in one abstract form or another on the Deerhunter blog at one moment in time. “Reminder” and “I Know I Will Escape” reiterate Cox’s creative ethos, with the songs being nothing remarkable, and probably composed in a drug-hazed weekend, but regardless, they are pretty enough to share. However, final track “Nightwork” is surprising, being a stunning twinkly environment of sound which begs the question of why it was left of Logos. For anyone familiar with the Weekend EP (which would be a select few Atlas Sound fan zealots), “Nightwork” would fit perfectly within that context.
In the end, the Rough Trade EP is nothing special, but rather the bow that wraps that brand new bicycle you got for Christmas as a kid. Sure, the bow is nice and pretty, but all you really want is that glistening bike.
