The group began with the ambition of fusing the lulling hypnotic states induced by ambient and minimalist music with the klang and propulsion of garage rock. The band has weathered chaotic line-up changes and the death of a member.
Cryptograms was the second full-length offering from Deerhunter, and their first for Kranky. The album took almost two years to finish and was the product of emotional, physical, and financial strain on the group. The result is an album that finds the band shifting from discordant catharsis, and forming a sonic identity that completely expresses the place from which they have arrived. The first half of the album was recorded first unsuccessfully in 2005. These recordings were a blur at best, wordless and bordering on psychological atrophy. The sessions failed to provide anything tangible, and were racked with technical and personal problems, including out-of-tune pianos, panic attacks, and a tape machine that seemed to fail to capture the full spectrum of ambience the band was exploring.
The band returned home, having failed, and considered giving up. The idea arose to give it one last shot and exactly one year from the date of the recording of their first self-titled LP at a small studio in rural Georgia, they returned to that same studio and plugged in. The session resulted in the first half of the record which was recorded in one day and completely filled the reel of tape they brought with them. Cryptograms’ first side begins with an introduction leading to the title track, and ends with the tape literally spinning off the end of the reel in the middle of a drone layered with bells and accordion (Red Ink). The second half of the record, also recorded in one day, in November of 2005, represents the band in an entirely different state. Spring Hall Convert opens with the line, “…so I woke up…” and introduces a set of focused psych-pop songs fixating on adolescence, illness, and failing connections.
On May 8, 2007, the group released the Fluorescent Grey EP, which was recorded in July 2006. This EP also garnered the title of "Best New Music" from Pitchfork Media. In the same month, the band released the Whirlyball 7" single, which was available at only one store in Atlanta, Georgia: Criminal Records. The single also acted as a ticket to a show, which featured the band along with The Carbonas, Selmanaires and The Coathangers. The single was available online for a limited time after the show due to popular demand, but only 200 copies were pressed, with 100 on black vinyl and 100 on clear vinyl.
The quartet's third album, Microcastle, came out in October of 2008 after being leaked accidentally in May. The physical release was accompanied by an album entitled Weird Era Cont.. They were both well-received, scoring a 9.2 and "best new music" on Pitchfork and taking the #1 slot for Tiny Mix Tapes' annual favorite albums list for 2008.
The band added guitarist Whitney Petty, a former sailor and high school friend of Cox's, to replace the departing Colin Mee in May 2008. She in turn left the band in February 2009.
The band followed up the critically acclaimed Microcastle/Weird Era Cont. set in May 2009 with an EP - Rainwater Cassette Exchange.
In September 2010, Deerhunter released Halcyon Digest on the label 4AD. The album received broad critical acclaim, including being rated #20 on the NME "50 Best Albums of 2010." Deerhunter made their US broadcast television debut on Conan, December 2, 2010, where they performed Helicopter.
Deerhunter released their sixth album, Monomania, in May 2013. It was their first album without bassist Josh Fauver, with Frankie Broyles and Josh McKay being added to the group. The Black Lips described the album as the "most punk album of the last 30 years."
On December 4, 2014, frontman Bradford Cox was seriously injured and hospitalized after being hit by a car in Atlanta. He has since described the incident as a “perspective-giving jolt” and cites the accident as a turning point for him in life. Deerhunter's seventh album, Fading Frontier, was released in October 2015. This was Cox's first musical output since the accident. The album also saw the departure of guitarist Frankie Broyles, who left the band to focus on his solo career.
In 2018, multi-instrumentalist Javier Morales was added as a permanent member, and the band embarked on a series of tour dates in the USA and Europe. Sold on this tour was a limited cassette-only release, Double Dream of Spring, comprised mainly of instrumental and experimental pieces. The band's eighth studio album, Why Hasn't Everything Already Disappeared?, followed in January 2019. Later in the year, a "12-minute opus" titled Timebends was released to streaming services as a one-off single. Partially improvised and laden with Cox's signature stream-of-consciousness lyricism, the track was "recorded live direct to tape and in one take with minimal overdubs and mastered using a completely analogue signal chain."
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Circulation
Deerhunter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Become impatient
Too long we've waited
For an end for me
Shame on your doctors
Oh, how they fooled us
Oh, how they lured us
Cold cave in winter
Ice swings would splinter
Ashes and cinder
Caressed and fall
Done with the highlights
Mirror wives and low lives
And reach for my light
When it gets dark
The Deerhunter's song Circulation seems to be about someone who is feeling impatient and frustrated with the slow progress they are making towards an ending or resolution to something in their life. The opening lyric remarks about "bad circulation" which can be interpreted as a metaphor for feeling stuck or stagnant in one's life. Throughout the song, the lyrics also seem to suggest a growing resentment towards the medical establishment and how it may have failed them in some way. The lines "Shame on your doctors / Oh, how they fooled us / Oh, how they lured us / Into their trucks, oh" imply a sense of betrayal and mistrust.
The song also seems to touch on themes of mortality and the changing seasons of life. The description of a "cold cave in winter" and "ice swings would splinter" paint a picture of a desolate and harsh environment, while the reference to "ashes and cinder" suggests a sense of finality or ending. However, the final lyrics of "Done with the highlights / Mirror wives and low lives / And reach for my light / When it gets dark" suggest a sense of renewal and a desire to move forward towards something brighter.
Line by Line Meaning
Bad circulation
My blood flow is poor and it affects my behavior.
Become impatient
As a result of my poor circulation, I feel restless and in a hurry.
Too long we've waited
I've been dealing with this for a long time and I'm tired of it.
For an end for me
I want a resolution to my health issues.
Shame on your doctors
I hold the medical profession responsible for their misguided treatment.
Oh, how they fooled us
They misled us with their methods and remedies.
Oh, how they lured us
They enticed us with false hopes and promises.
Into their trucks, oh
They transported us to treatment centers where they continued to perform questionable procedures.
Cold cave in winter
The environment I live in is cold and unwelcoming.
Ice swings would splinter
The ice formations around me are fragile and break easily.
Ashes and cinder
The energy sources I rely on are fleeting and unsustainable.
Caressed and fall
The things I cherish are ephemeral and eventually disappear.
Done with the highlights
I'm finished with the superficial things that used to bring me joy.
Mirror wives and low lives
I'm rejecting the societal norms of beauty and success.
And reach for my light
I'm striving for something meaningful and fulfilling.
When it gets dark
Especially when life gets tough and challenging.
Contributed by Elena O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.