Even with last year’s Deerhunter full length, the world tour, the four albums worth of demos and the odd track here and there, it still feels like an eternity since we’ve heard from Bradford Cox and his solo project Atlas Sound.
“Terra Incognita” is the first taste from his new album Parallax, and with it is seemingly the beginnings of his new, slower, Neil Young-esque balladeer style, previously hinted at on Deerhunter tracks such as “Sailing” (and in subsequent live performances), but here further fleshed out and developed upon. Layer upon layer of mood-enhancing effect and percussion are added until, before you know it, the song takes flight, with Cox speaking of both of ancient technologies and beasts that drone (which makes sense considering the album’s genre is ‘Science Fiction’ according to its website).
Both ever evolving and yet somehow restrained throughout, “Terra Incognita” is a tender, almost love song-style croon, which seems to be intentional looking at the almost ridiculous album cover (taken by rock photography legend Mick Rock); I’m not sure if he’s aping Jeff Buckley or Ghostface Killah.
