Project 1001: Halcyon Digest by Deerhunter
Deerhunter is a band totally unfamiliar to me until today. They are indie rockers out of Atlanta who also dabble in dream pop and some experimental music. The first part of this album failed to appeal to me, but things pick up with the fifth track “Memory Boy” and get pretty good right to the end. They seem to be going for almost mood music, and it works. A few of the songs could have been trimmed down by a few bars to eliminate some repetitive choruses, but otherwise I like this album a lot more than I thought I was going to after the first four songs. Definitely worth a listen. My rating:
No Ripcord magazine:
They’ve never disappointed before, and why should they start now? Desire Lines takes Nothing Ever Happened and strips away the noise, leaving the beautiful, simple shell, with Pundt’s enchanting vocal melodies and Cox’s angelic backing vocals wrapped in psychedelic guitar work. Desire Lines is the centerpiece of the most pleasant listening experience of the year, and one of the best. I’ve been listening to it on repeat for two weeks now, and I’ve yet to find a flaw. It’s Deerhunter's second masterpiece in a row, and most natural record, a one-two punch for the books. They’ve established themselves as one of the best bands in the world, and I can only see them getting better. Halcyon Digest goes by like a breeze, and when it’s finished there’s nothing better to do than play it again.1
AllMusic:
Despite its delicacy, Halcyon Digest is some of Deerhunter's most down-to-earth music, and offers some of the band's most thoughtful songwriting…It's not as immediate as previous Deerhunter albums, but Halcyon Digest has an appeal all its own: It's as difficult to grasp -- and as hard to shake -- as a memory lingering at the back of your brain.2
In 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Robert Dimery wrote:
…Halcyon Digest in a snapshot: ambiguous and nostalgic, with occasionally brooding lyrics contrarily packaged in music brimful of inventiveness, confidence, and direction Memorable.3
Enjoy and listen without prejudice. Cheers!
Prime Playlist: 160. Halcyon Digest by Deerhunter
Charts
• Peak on Billboard 200 album chart: #374
• Singles on Billboard Hot 100 chart: n/a
• RIAA certification: n/a
Released on September 27, 2010. Here’s what else was happening:
Pop Culture
• Number one song: “Teenage Dream” by Katy Perry5
• Number one album: Kaleidoscope Heart by Sara Bareilles6
• Number one movie: The Expendables by Sylvester Stallone7
• Most watched TV programs: Dancing With the Stars, House, How I Met Your Mother, Chuck, 90210, Rules of Engagement, Two and a Half Men, The Event, Lone Star, Gossip Girl8
• NYT bestseller, fiction: Freedom by Jonathan Franzen9
• NYT bestseller, non-fiction: The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow10
Other albums released that month
• Seeing Eye Dog by Helmet
• A Thousand Suns by Linkin Park
• Hurley by Weezer
• Going Back by Phil Collins
• Overly Dedicated by Kendrick Lamar
• Hands All Over by Maroon 5
• Postcards from a Young Man by Manic Street Preachers
• Wake Up! by John Legend and The Roots
• A Year Without Rain by Selena Gomez & the Scene
• The Dissent of Man by Bad Religion
• Lonely Avenue by Ben Folds and Nick Hornby
• Kaleidoscope Heart by Sara Bareilles
• I Am the West by Ice Cube
• Invented by Jimmy Eat World11
Sport
• Sep 11 US Open Women's Tennis: Belgian defending champion Kim Clijsters beats Vera Zvonareva of Russia 6-2, 6-1 for her third US singles crown.
• Sep 13 US Open Men's Tennis: Rafael Nadal wins his first US crown; beats Novak Đoković 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2; first Spanish man to win US title since Manuel Orantes 1975.12
• Sep 13 No. 1 Alabama defeats No. 10 Arkansas, 24-10.13
• Sep 27 Phillies clinch NL East on Roy Halladay’s two-hitter14
Notable Births
TBD
Historical Events
• Sep 4 Canterbury earthquake: a 7.1 magnitude earthquake which struck the South Island of New Zealand at 4:35 am causing widespread damage and several power outages.
• Sep 9 A court in the Philippines orders Imelda Marcos to repay the government almost $280,000 for funds taken from the National Food Authority by Ferdinand Marcos in 1983.
• Sep 12 27th MTV Video Music Awards: Lady Gaga & Eminem win.
• Sep 17 The 54 year run of the soap opera As the World Turns ends as its final episode is broadcast.
• Sep 19 35th Toronto International Film Festival: "The King's Speech" directed by Tom Hooper wins the People's Choice Award.
• Sep 20 The National Bureau of Economic Research state today that the US left the recession in June 2009.https://www.onthisday.com/events/date/2010/september
Notable Deaths
• Sep 20 Leonard Skinner, American high school gym teacher; namesake of rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, dies at 77.
• Sep 22 Eddie Fisher, American pop singer ("Oh My Papa": I'm Walking Behind You"), dies from complications from hip surgery at 82.
• Sep 26 Gloria Stuart, American actress (Titanic) and founder of the Screen Actors Guild, dies from respiratory failure at 100.
• Sep 27 George Blanda, American Pro Football HOF quarterback/placekicker (AFL C'ship 1960, 61 [MVP], 67; First-team All-AFL 1961; 4 × AFL All-Star; Chicago Bears, Houston Oilers, Oakland Raiders), dies at 83.
• Sep 28 Arthur Penn, American film director (Miracle Worker; Bonnie & Clyde), dies at 88.
• Sep 29 Tony Curtis, American actor (The Defiant Ones; Some Like It Hot; Spartacus), dies at 85.
• Sep 30 Stephen J. Cannell, American TV producer (The Rockford Files, The A-Team, 21 Jump Street) and writer, dies of melanoma at 69.15
Dimery, Robert, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Fifth printing, ed. by Robert Dimmery p. 940.
Ibid.