- 23
- May
Unless you were born with one of those silver spoons, you likely work a day job, sneaking time for your own business when not taking care of someone else's. You're not alone. Every week, Brandon Stosuy finds out how our favorite indie artists make ends meet...Deerhunter's been buzzing loudly since the release of their sophomore album Cryptograms earlier this year. The Fluorescent Grey EP helped maintain the chatter some, but it's the Atlanta quintet's live presence -- dresses, blood, and blowjobs, but also old-fashioned chops, volume, energy, and charisma -- that's solidified/ultimately justified the next-big-thing status. The rise to NY Times exegesis and Karen O love might seem quick, but it's been a pretty long trip: Deerhunter started in 2001, co-founded by vocalist Bradford Cox, and this week's worker bee, drummer/keyboardist Moses Archuleta.
Amid the hype, Archuleta maintains his day job, though he's basically the last member of the band to punch the clock. A tipster alerted me to Archuleta's 9 to 5 gig at American Apparel in Atlanta, so I caught up with him earlier this week to discuss gardening, light-bulb replacement, clothes folding, leg warmers, Current 93, and "The Most Unwanted Song."
After our conversation, you'll find "Axis I (F. Grey)," a track from the Atlas Sound/Mexcellent split 12" out on Hoss Records. Atlas Sound is Bradford Cox’s solo project; the song's a one-man glistening nighttime thump-in-the-echo-chamber demo/prototype for Deerhunter's "Fluorescent Grey." Go through it once, then listen to the two songs in tandem -- it's a quick lesson in how the group opens up and expands a headspace.