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
Twilight at Carbon Lake
Deerhunter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pray for the sea
Go towards the mirror and
Pray that you'll see
Someone else
Downtown
Go downtown
In the center of the state
Go away
Go to a parking lot
Sit on the ground and cry
You'll never know why
Start over
Go to the ocean
On a ship
Wave goodbye to the waves
And the
Frozen shit
That was in your heart
So long
Time slows when it goes away
Go away
Time Slows
So long
The lyrics of Deerhunter's song Twilight at Carbon Lake seem to suggest a sense of being lost, accompanied by a desire for change and a search for direction. The opening lines encourage the listener to go to the shore and pray for the sea, perhaps as a way of seeking guidance from the vast and mysterious. Similarly, the subsequent lines urge the listener to go towards the mirror and pray to see someone else, perhaps indicating a desire for transformation or a wish to escape oneself.
The repeated refrain of "Go downtown" seems to suggest a need to physically move towards a urban center, which may represent a place of both opportunity and chaos. This is reinforced by the image of going to a parking lot and sitting on the ground to cry, a place that is both mundane and emotional. The line "You'll never know why" may suggest a feeling of confusion or helplessness in the face of one's emotional turmoil.
The final verse speaks of going to the ocean on a ship, perhaps representing a journey towards a new beginning or a sense of escape. The lyrics advise the listener to wave goodbye to the waves and the frozen shit that was in their heart - possibly indicating a need to let go of past pain or regrets. The final lines of the song repeat the phrase "So long", which could be a farewell to the past, while also acknowledging the sense of time slowing down when saying goodbye to something.
Line by Line Meaning
Go to the shore and
Head to the shoreline and
Pray for the sea
Hope for something that's out of your control
Go towards the mirror and
Approach a reflection and
Pray that you'll see
Wish to discover a different version of yourself
Someone else
A new persona and identity
Downtown
In the city center
Go downtown
Navigate to the heart of the urban landscape
Go to the waves of grain
Venture to the fields of crops
In the center of the state
Located in the middle of the land
Go away
Leave your present location
Go to a parking lot
Enter a space for cars
Sit on the ground and cry
Break down and sob uncontrollably
You'll never know why
The cause of your despair remains unclear
Start over
Begin anew
Go to the ocean
Travel to the sea
On a ship
Aboard a vessel that's sailing
Wave goodbye to the waves
Bid farewell to the movements of the water
And the Frozen shit
The hardened, cold emotions
That was in your heart
Stored in your innermost self
So long
Farewell
Time slows when it goes away
The duration extends when it departs
Go away
Disappear
Time Slows
The pace of time decelerates
So long
Goodbye
Contributed by Jonathan D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@diegonunes1651
Go to the shore and, pray for the sea.
Go towards the mirror and, pray that you'll see,
Someone else.
Downtown, go downtown.
Go to the waves of grain in the center of the state.
Go away.
Go to a parking lot, sit on the ground, and cry.
You'll never know why.
Start over.
Go to the ocean on a ship.
Wave goodbye to the waves and the frozen shit
that was in your heart.
So long.
Time slows when it goes away.
Go away.
Time Slows.
So long.
@Dom213
I hope any one who reads this gets to listen to this song with the person they love. It’s other worldly.
@daysofgrandeur
Not one bad song on that album ✌️
@jeorgefranco25
This song is massaging my brain. It feels so good.
@brownayy
this album's flawless
@tatianaalmeida1768
i love this song so much, one of the bests songs ever, i'm never tired of him !!!!!!
@major4765
This album is an masterpiece :3
@tatianaalmeida1768
it's really!!! fuck xD
@marcohugorosa7599
@Namasté Moon now its your favourite song?
@mergingmarky8274
Such a Rad Ender for a Masterpiece album...with more to come👌
@Sara0K
its literally master piece. i think its deerhunter's best song