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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Coronado
Deerhunter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lay my head on the cement bed
I had a few good years
But they don't know
Come on now, don't leave me hangin'
'Cause I wanna get down or I
I'll start believing' what they said
In my heart, I don't believe it
And if I go ahead I know that you're leavin' and I
I can't wait to see you go
I can't wait to see you go
In my heart, I feel so high
I want to know the answers why
I ask so many questions, they let me go
They hang up the telephone
"And if I die, before I wake
I know that it must frustrate some people
That need a paycheck
Well, they need their blood let."
The lyrics of Deerhunter's song Coronado depict a person who has gone through a rough phase in their life, perhaps struggling with physical illness or depression. The first two lines, "I was sick, I was dead / Lay my head on the cement bed" signify the person's state of mind and body, as if they had nothing else to hope for but to rest their head on a hard and cold surface. They admit to having some good years behind them, but somehow it does not appease their need to feel alive and kicking.
The next lines "Come on now, don't leave me hanging / 'Cause I wanna get down or I / I'll start believing' what they said" suggest the person is in dire need of someone to talk to, someone to relate to. While they do not specify who "they" is, it could refer to the negative thoughts and feelings eating away at them, and which they do not want to give in to. The conflicting emotions of wanting to believe and wanting to hold on to hope are evident in the lines, "In my heart, I don't believe it / And if I go ahead I know that you're leaving and I / I can't wait to see you go."
Towards the end of the song, the lyrics take a darker tone, as the person contemplates their own mortality. "And if I die, before I wake / I know that it must frustrate some people / That need a paycheck / Well, they need their blood let" suggests an acute feeling of hopelessness, as if the world would keep revolving even if they were not around. Overall, the lyrics of Coronado are an introspective take on the human experience, encapsulating feelings of despair, loneliness, and the desire to break away from all that is weighing down on us.
Line by Line Meaning
I was sick, I was dead
I was in a dark place mentally and emotionally, feeling like life had lost its meaning.
Lay my head on the cement bed
Feeling helpless and without purpose, like an inanimate object that has been discarded on the ground.
I had a few good years
There were moments in life when things were brighter and happier, but they're now in the past.
But they don't know
No one else can truly understand the struggles and hardships I'm facing.
Come on now, don't leave me hangin'
Don't abandon me when I'm reaching out for help.
'Cause I wanna get down or I
I need someone to listen to me and help me feel better.
I'll start believing' what they said
Otherwise, I might start believing the negative things that people say about me or my situation.
In my heart, I don't believe it
Despite what some might say, I still have hope and faith in myself and my future.
And if I go ahead I know that you're leavin' and I
If I move forward with my problems, I know that the people around me might end up abandoning me.
I can't wait to see you go
Even if their leaving might hurt me in the moment, I won't be able to handle having them stick around when they're not supportive.
In my heart, I feel so high
There's a possibility for something good on the horizon, and I'm filled with optimism and excitement.
I want to know the answers why
However, there are still questions or uncertainties that hold me back and keep me wondering about the direction of my life.
I ask so many questions, they let me go
Asking questions is the only way I feel like I can find answers, but sometimes nobody wants to stick around long enough to help me find them.
"And if I die, before I wake
Potentially, there may be people who would be happy if I were no longer around.
I know that it must frustrate some people
My existence and my struggles might be inconvenient or difficult for some individuals.
That need a paycheck
Furthermore, some people might even benefit monetarily from my misery and despair.
Well, they need their blood let."
Ultimately, those people are only self-serving and will do whatever it takes to keep their own lives comfortable, even if it means I have to suffer.
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: BRADFORD COX
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Steven Denny
I was sick, I was dead
Lay my head on the cement bed
I had a few good years
But they don't know
Come on now, don't leave me hangin'
'Cause I wanna get down or I
I'll start believing' what they said
In my heart, I don't believe it
And if I go ahead I know that you're leavin' and I
I can't wait to see you go
I can't wait to see you go
In my heart, I feel so high
I want to know the answers why
I ask so many questions, they let me go
They hang up the telephone
"And if I die, before I wake
I know that it must frustrate some people
That need a paycheck
Well, they need their blood let."
Nimzo Wolfe
Great raspy vocals and a sick sax make this one of my all time favorite Deerhunter songs, and that's saying a lot.
MouthlyKnives
same super had
Faron Graham
for sure, black glasses and silver mic spotlight-type jazz; great song
Gilbert Aguilar
Which songs, by your estimation, are Better? This is Really badass.
Gabriela Montiel
Man...This song has such good vibes.
Gilbert Aguilar
This songs' vibes have INTENTIONS
David H
i wish i could see a live version of this
Karl Marx
My favorite deerhunter song and probably my favorite song in general. I wish the bass was mixed higher on this album tho
Steven Denny
I was sick, I was dead
Lay my head on the cement bed
I had a few good years
But they don't know
Come on now, don't leave me hangin'
'Cause I wanna get down or I
I'll start believing' what they said
In my heart, I don't believe it
And if I go ahead I know that you're leavin' and I
I can't wait to see you go
I can't wait to see you go
In my heart, I feel so high
I want to know the answers why
I ask so many questions, they let me go
They hang up the telephone
"And if I die, before I wake
I know that it must frustrate some people
That need a paycheck
Well, they need their blood let."
Matt B
Just such a rad track.