Atlas Sound--Logos: See? Sometimes Hype Can Be Well-Founded

We all concede to our skepticism every now and then, especially when doing so in the face of unrelenting praise. Last year, TV on the Radio's Dear Science was released on a wave of such extreme esteem that, upon hearing the first six minutes of the album, the inevitable "all that hype for this?" rhetorical spiel unfolded in my brain.

When buzz first began forming around Deerhunter, I didn't even give them a courtesy listen. I simply warmed myself to skepticism's embrace. I was so far gone that even catching Deerhunter for free turned into an opportunity to ignore them publicly.

I write this review today as a huge Deerhunter fan.What finally liberated me from my disbelief? Another free show, this time Deerhunter leader Bradford Cox's side project, Atlas Sound. Sounds presented under this moniker were closer to being straightforward songs than ambient diversions, yet they were still unsettling enough to disturb the curious passersby at the South Street Seaport's Pier 17. I obtained Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel, the first Atlas Sound venture, and suddenly the hype became far, far easier to tolerate.

While Let The Blind... contains one of my favorite songs of this decade (the creepy dreamy "River Card"), as a whole Let The Blind... seems little more than a couple of really great songs and a lot of meandering ones. Logos, The latest Atlas Sound release, opens with more of the same."The Light That Failed" starts out promising then goes nowhere. Yet, just when that old trusty skepticism comes coiling back toward my ears, Logos gets really, really good. Tracks begin molding into actual, complete songs with the advent of "Walkabout," a duet with Animal Collective's Noah Lennox. What could have been far too indie for its own good becomes a lovingly crafted pop duet firmly placed on the right side of indie. "My Halo" features the return of Cox's yearning '60's girl group vocals; always welcome, the delivery is even more spellbinding when backed by music that could possibly be described as experimental doo-wop. The album's final song, which shares its title with the album, comes across as a boppier, more memorable version of one of Beck's blippier endeavors. Cox's hooks hold stronger, though; bops prove more victorious than blips.

The obvious album highlight, however, is "Shelia," three and a half minutes of beauty that makes the line "we'll die alone together" sound like the sweetest of pop sentiments. On infectiousness alone, it is rapidly becoming another personal favorite of the '00's.

At its best, the songs on Logos come and go like a dream, luring the listener into a hard to shake trance by the album's conclusion. Is Logos worth this threat of post-album haziness? For once, the answer is a very sound yes.

Level of Disappointment: 3; thank god Cox is so goddamn prolific. If you don't like his latest release, just wait twenty seconds and he'll probably come back with something you'll love.

To Watch: "Quick Canal" video (Not official, per se, but utterly befitting of the song, which features Stereolab's Laetitia Sadier)