Deerhunter are fast becoming one of the most noteworthy bands in indie music. Their front-man, Bradford Cox, is one of the most prolific artists at work at the moment, seemingly releasing handfuls of tracks every other month from his bedroom sessions or under the Atlas Sound or Deerhunter names at a near-constant rate. With another month comes another track – a minimal instrumental called “Curve.”
“Curve” is interesting by Deerhunter’s standards, as it seems a lot more mellow and tranquil than Microcastle and the bulk of Halcyon Digest. Given its ambient nature, it seems to recall something that Cox would release through his solo outfit; however, given that Deerhunter are credited, it is apparently the work of an entire band. Not that you might necessarily think this, given the relatively subdued sound of the first half of the track. Dreamy synthesizers overlap throughout the first five minutes, creating a nice sound but not really changing or building in any noticeable way. It’s only after the five minute mark that things become interesting; gentle percussion seeps into speakers and the song really opens up, beautifully blossoming into a swelling mass of sound.
Given the nature of the track in helping out the victims of Japan’s tsunamis for Blonde Redhead’s We Are The Works In Progress compilation, the track sounds as if it is part of a bigger project, ending at a high point of noise rather than slowly fading out. Sadly, it takes a long time for Deerhunter to meet their mark, and while the final minute or two of the track really play to Deerhunter’s strengths, the bulk of the song sounds relatively generic. By taking too long to reach its short but sweet climax, the track comes across as rather imbalanced.
