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."
http://deerhuntermusic.com
Sleepwalking
Deerhunter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You forced on me a hopeless dream
I've been looking for one true thing
Too numb to see I've been sleepwalking
Too horrified to see
Wait and think it doesn't get you down
You're flying now but you'll come back down
You'll look around, yeah you'll look around
Too horrified to see
I've been looking for some harmonies
Some words to sing that could really bring
The lonely-hearted some company
All the people that were just like me yeah
When a decade is spent searching
For something time will never bring
Something starts to shut down inside
My body and my tired mind
Too horrified to see
Can't you see your heart, it's hard now
Your heart, it's hard now
Can't you see, we've grown apart now
We've grown apart now
Deerhunter's song Sleepwalking, is a melancholic and visceral tune that touches on themes of hopelessness, disillusionment, and disconnection. The song opens with the words "I'm not mad about anything," which is a testament to the singer's underlying frustration and inability to connect with the world around them. They then go on to suggest that someone forced a "hopeless dream" on them, indicating that they were perhaps led astray or misled. The singer is keenly aware of their own numbness, realizing that they have been "sleepwalking" through life, too horrified to come to terms with reality.
The second verse seems to expand upon these feelings of disconnection and isolation. The singer laments that they have been "looking for some harmonies," perhaps suggesting that they are searching for a sense of unity or belonging. They search for "words to sing that could really bring the lonely-hearted some company," highlighting their desire for a deeper emotional connection. However, despite their best efforts, they seem unable to find what they are searching for.
The chorus of the song underscores the theme of disillusionment, suggesting that when we spend too much time searching for something that time will never bring, "something starts to shut down inside." The singer's "body and tired mind" seem to be succumbing to the weight of their own disillusionment. The final lines of the song, "Can't you see your heart, it's hard now / Can't you see we've grown apart now," suggest that the singer has perhaps become jaded and distant, unable to connect with those around them.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm not mad about anything
I am not angry but I am also not happy
You forced on me a hopeless dream
You made me believe in something that has no chance of happening
I've been looking for one true thing
I have been searching for something real and honest
Too numb to see I've been sleepwalking
I have been going through the motions without truly experiencing life
Too horrified to see
I am too scared to face reality
Wait and think it doesn't get you down
Take a moment and reflect to prevent feeling overwhelmed
You're flying now but you'll come back down
You may feel on top of the world now but eventually the high will end
And with both your feet on the ground
Once grounded, you can see things clearly
You'll look around, yeah you'll look around
You will observe your surroundings with a new perspective
I've been looking for some harmonies
I have been seeking a sense of balance and unity
Some words to sing that could really bring
Searching for words that truly resonate
The lonely-hearted some company
Providing comfort for those who feel alone
All the people that were just like me yeah
Finding commonality with others who share a similar struggle
When a decade is spent searching
When a significant amount of time is wasted seeking something
For something time will never bring
For something that cannot be attained through time alone
Something starts to shut down inside
A part of me begins to die
My body and my tired mind
Both my physical and mental state are exhausted
Can't you see your heart, it's hard now
Your heart has become callused
Your heart, it's hard now
Your heart has become callused
Can't you see, we've grown apart now
We have separated emotionally
We've grown apart now
We have separated emotionally
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: BRADFORD COX
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind