Atlas Sound is the name of a musical solo project of Bradford Cox, the lead… Read Full Bio ↴Atlas Sound is the name of a musical solo project of Bradford Cox, the lead singer of Deerhunter. Cox was born in Athens, Georgia in 1982. In early 2008 he released his first album entitled Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel on indie-labels Kranky and 4AD. His second album, Logos, was released in fall 2009 to critical acclaim. In explaining his reasoning for a solo project, Cox has stated, "It's just that I have ideas that I can't make work with a five-piece rock band...there's kind of this palette of sounds that I use that I don't necessarily get to use with Deerhunter". Cox has noted his heroes to be Cindy Wilson from B-52's and Laura Carter from Athens punk band the Bar-B-Q Killers.

Cox met his collaborator and best friend, Lockett Pundt, in high school. He started recording on a cassette karaoke machine in 1994 when he was in sixth grade. He has used the name "Atlas Sound" since then, as it was the name of the company that manufactured the tape machine. Cox has also recorded as part of other bands, such as the short lived "Wet Dreams", an all-girl garage/noise band in which he played drums. He also recorded several tracks on the Black Lips second album We Did Not Know the Forest Spirit Made the Flowers Grow, playing drums on the song Notown Blues from that album.

http://deerhuntertheband.blogspot.com/

My Halo
Atlas Sound Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

my halo burned a hole in the sky
my halo burned a hole in the ground
my halo burned a hole in the sky
my halo is a part of my cry

& so I will wait for polarity to change
for years & years & years the canvas cracked
my portrait turned black

my halo is strange
no cure for the pain

my body will burn
the leaves will still turn

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Atlas Sound's "My Halo" offers a unique and introspective reflection on the complexities of personal identity and the trauma that can result from the struggle to find oneself. The repeated phrase "my halo burned a hole in the sky" suggests a sense of personal power and influence, while the later line "my portrait turned black" implies an erosion of one's sense of self. The lines "no cure for the pain/ my body will burn/ the leaves will still turn" are particularly striking, as they combine both the sense of struggle and decay with the inevitability of natural cycles.

Overall, the song speaks to the challenges of self-discovery and the potential for emotional burnout and disintegration that can come with such a journey. The halo, traditionally a symbol of spiritual ascension and purity, takes on a complex and multifaceted meaning throughout the song: at times a source of power and agency, at others a driver of pain and confusion. Ultimately, the lyrics suggest that personal growth is a difficult and often painful process, but one that is necessary to move through the cycles of life and evolve into one's true self.

Line by Line Meaning

my halo burned a hole in the sky
The mark of my virtuous existence has caused a tear in the fabric of the heavens.

my halo burned a hole in the ground
The radiance of my goodness has scorched a mark upon the earth.

my halo is a part of my cry
My innermost anguish is intertwined with the luminous aura that surrounds me.

my halo is strange
The effects of my righteousness are peculiar and difficult to explain.

no cure for the pain
Despite my holiness, I still suffer and cannot fully escape the trials of life.

my body will burn
Eventually, I will pass away and my physical form will perish.

the leaves will still turn
Even after I am gone, the natural world will continue to thrive and change as it always has.

so I will wait for polarity to change
I will endure with patience for the forces of the universe to balance themselves out and bring about a resolution.

for years & years & years the canvas cracked
As time passed, the surface on which my life is painted began to deteriorate and reveal the impermanence of all things.

my portrait turned black
The image of who I once was has become corrupted and obscured, no longer accurate to who I am or was.

Contributed by Kaylee A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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