Tibi Puiu
Bradford Cox
Last year, in August, we had a veritable indie soap-opera on our hands, after Brandon Cox, also known under the moniker of Atlas Sound, had an early version of his latest album “Logos” leaked all over the internet. Some harsh words were thrown out then, and even the thought of giving up on Logos all together was mentioned. Luckily for all of us, he soon relinquished the idea and such Logos has finally been completed, getting released this autumn.
What’s interesting is that Logos is heck of a lot different for Brandon’s previous effort, the very introverted “Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel“. “The lyrics are not autobiographical…I became bored with introspection,” he confesses in a recent press release announcing the upcoming Logos release. As proof, super stars like Animal Collective’s Panda Bear and Stereolab’s Laetitia Sadier were invited to put their mark on the album as well by collaborating.
But hey, who better than Brandon to talk about his new album?
“My last album was a bedroom laptop type thing. Very introverted. Logos is an album that was recorded all over the world. It’s not about me. There are collaborations with other musicians. The lyrics are not autobiographical. The view is a lot more panoramic and less close-up. I became bored with introspection. This was also the case with Deerhunter’s Microcastle LP, which was written during the same period.
I started recording December of 2007. I recorded the first version of the album, which was not intended for release. Due to some unfortunate mistakes on my part, this ‘sketch’ of the album was leaked. Many of the songs where simply ‘placeholders,’ songs I created quickly to help design the ‘arc’ of the album.
I did not react well to the leak, in retrospect. It became the kind of internet-fueled drama that I was quickly learning to despise. I had always desired to speak through music, not blog posts and interviews, etc. I considered abandoning the project.
I toured for a period in Europe with Animal Collective, whose band dynamic was very inspirational to be around. On the bus, we often played improvised iPod games. We would take turns formulating a theme or unifying concept and then play three songs. The goal would be for everyone to try and figure out the theme. During one of these games, someone played ‘What Am I Going to Do’ by the Dovers. I was amazed at the hook– a weird organ thing with drums and electric bass. I mentioned to Noah [Lennox] that someone should really sample that riff. He agreed and he taught me a little about sampling and matching up beats. This ended up as the collaborative effort ‘Walkabout’.
Each song on the album has a similar story. That might be my favorite thing about the album. It’s a collection of songs. There is no ‘filler.’ There are little scrapbook details everywhere. Sasha Vine [of Sian Alice Group] provided a double-tracked improvised violin part to ‘Attic Lights’ which was recorded backstage at a Deerhunter/Sian Alice Group show in Brighton. It might be my favorite moment of the album. I played it for some younger friends of mine. They cringed. They wanted more songs like ‘Walkabout’. Something with a big beat. I told them when they get older they will appreciate things like harmonicas and violins more.
Laetitia from Stereolab, who I idolized as a teenager and would later befriend on tour, contributed words and vocals to ‘Quick Canal.’ The song was originally about 15 minutes long. I had zero ideas for vocals and asked if she could give it a shot. Andy Ramsay [drummer for Stereolab ] took a dub of the original and recorded Laetitia’s vocals at his Press Play studio in London. It was quite a treat to hear the finished product, now at an economical nine minutes.
Almost everything you hear on the album is a first take. This makes it almost like a ‘live album’ where a band sets up in a studio and just rolls tape. There are songs on here I don’t even remember recording.”
Logos will be out October 20 via Kranky Records. Tracklist bellow.
01. The Light That Failed
02. An Orchid
03. Walkabout [ft. Noah Lennox (Panda Bear)]
04. Criminals
05. Attic Lights
06. Shelia
07. Quick Canal [ft. Laetitia Sadier]
08. My Halo
09. Kid Klimax
10. Washington School
11. Logos
[via strange glue]
