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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MEMORY
Deerhunter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let me jog my memory
I see you leaving
Oh, don't forget your TV
It's not a house anymore
It's not a house anymore
It's not a house anymore
That October
He came over every day
The smell of loose leaf
Joints on jeans and we would play
It's not a house anymore oh oh
It's not a house anymore oh oh
It's not a house anymore oh oh
It's not a house anymore
Try to recognize your son
In your eyes he's gone, gone, gone
Done, gone, gone, gone, gone, gone, gone, gone
Is there anyone?
Who wants to see the sun go
Down, down, down, down
Down, down, down, down
Down, down, down, down
Down, down, down
The song "Memory Boy" by Deerhunter is a melancholic reflection of memories and the passage of time. The lyrics portray a feeling of nostalgia as the singer looks back on the past and reflects on what has changed. The opening lines, "Did you stick with me? Let me jog my memory. I see you leaving. Oh, don't forget your TV," suggest a sense of loss and confusion as the singer tries to remember someone who has left.
The repetition of the phrase "It's not a house anymore" throughout the song emphasizes the theme of change and loss. The memories associated with a particular place are no longer relevant as time passes by. The reference to October and the smell of loose leaf suggests that the memories are associated with a specific time of year and a particular season.
As the song progresses, the lyrics become more poignant as the singer tries to connect with someone who has gone. The line "Try to recognize your son. In your eyes, he's gone, gone, gone" highlights the sadness of someone not recognizing their own child, possibly due to the effects of time and memory loss. The final lines "Is there anyone who wants to see the sun go down" evoke a sense of acceptance and finality, as the singer contemplates the inevitability of life coming to an end.
Overall, "Memory Boy" is a reflective and meditative song about the passage of time and the fleeting nature of memories.
Line by Line Meaning
Did you stick with me?
Did you remain loyal or committed to our relationship or friendship?
Let me jog my memory
Let me try to remember or recall something that I have forgotten
I see you leaving
I recognize or perceive that you are departing or moving out
Oh, don't forget your TV
Oh, do not leave behind your television as you depart
It's not a house anymore
This place no longer feels like a home or place of residence
That October
That same month last year or in the past
He came over every day
He visited or spent time with me on a daily basis
The smell of loose leaf
The aroma of unwrapped or unprocessed tobacco leaves or papers
Joints on jeans and we would play
We would smoke marijuana together and engage in leisure activities while wearing denim pants
Try to recognize your son
Attempt to acknowledge or identify your offspring
In your eyes he's gone, gone, gone
You perceive or view your child as absent or lost, both literally and metaphorically
Done, gone, gone, gone, gone, gone, gone, gone
Irreversible or definite loss or absence
Is there anyone?
Is there somebody who wants or needs something?
Who wants to see the sun go
Who desires or wishes to witness the sunset or ending of something?
Down, down, down, down
Getting lower, decreasing or fading away
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind