Atlas Sound w. Panda Bear – Walkabout

Atlas Sound

‘Walkabout’ is the first track to emerge from the second album from Deerhunter frontman Bradford Cox’s solo project Atlas Sound. Logos, initially leaked in demo form nearly a year ago, has been re-recorded and developed in the meantime and will finally be released in October. ‘Walkabout’ suggests that Cox has married the summery, brighter pop moments of Deerhunter’s Microcastle from last year with the ambient, looping soundscapes of his first Atlas Sound record, Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel.

Atlas Sound devotees will know it’s not quite that simple – Cox has been putting out Atlas Sound tracks and EPs on his blog since 2007, and this wealth of material stretches from the three track, ambient Weekend EP to the blissed-out pop of the Orange Ohms Glow EP. So, to hear Cox attempting to blend melody with experimentation once again isn’t much of a surprise, but ‘Walkabout’ is perhaps one of his most successful attempts yet.

The track is a collaboration between Cox and Animal Collective member Noah Lennox, a.k.a. Panda Bear. Bearing in mind the increasing popularity of both artist’s bands in the last year or so, their coming together on ‘Walkabout’ is significant – it’s a bit like Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey for bloggers. The track came about after Cox and Lennox listened to ‘What Am I Going to Do’ by The Dovers while touring Europe together. Cox has said, ‘I was amazed at the hook– a weird organ thing with drums and electric bass. I mentioned to Noah that someone should really sample that riff. He agreed and he taught me a little about sampling and matching up beats’.

Propelled by glitchy beats and the glorious hook from The Dovers, ‘Walkabout’ does indeed sound like a halfway point between Atlas Sound and Lennox’s own Beach Boys-esque Person Pitch record from 2007. Both artists have dwelled on the theme of childhood in their work before, and this is where they meet; Cox sings ‘What did you want to see?/What did you want to be when you grew up?’ over the looping melody, eventually being swallowed up in ambience and reverb. Their voices match up well and interlink, both favouring repetition in melody and lyrics that creates the hypnotic effect that will by now be familiar to fans.

At the same time, there’s also an attention to detail, a texturing of sound, that rewards repeated listens – there’s a depth to the recording that stretches beyond the initial summery sheen of the melody. It’s a promising introduction to Logos, suggesting that Cox has attempted to further expand his sonic palette.

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