Atlas Sound • Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel
Atlas Sound is the work of solo artist Bradford Cox, working • in part • through a disused karaoke machine. He manages to create an interesting sound, frequently far from ‘musical’ in the original sense. It is always layered with levels of distortion and static. However, his creations do have a sense of musical beauty: illogical but aesthetically wonderful.
There are times when you have to question his logic. The album title is a prime example. You have to read it several times before you think; ‘what the?’ The first track on the album: ‘A Ghost Story’ is another good example. It consists of a sample of young boy making up a ghost story. There is no melody; simply layers of static and samples. It is genuinely haunting, but it is not musical art. This is something different altogether. This is the art of recorded sound; an art that is confined to galleries because most companies stay away from it through fear of its limited selling power. But it is precisely in this arena that Cox excels. ‘A Ghost Story’ actually works because of the very absence of music • in the traditional sense.
One of the best tracks on the album for the sheer aesthetic quality of noise is ‘Ready, Set, Glow’. Again there is no ‘music’ in the traditional sense. There is no chorus, no verse, no bridge or hook. But there are musical sounds, and it will draw you in. Cox is also the front man of the band ‘Deerhunter’, and claims that this album is a collection of all the ideas which could not be brought to function for the band. This much is clear. But what is perhaps more pertinent is the question ‘Where the hell did he get the idea from?’ Obviously at home in his world of static, haunting vocals, and evolving rhythms, Atlas Sound is perhaps stranger than his music. In reality though, this is simply one man’s freaky ideas made sonic reality.
‘Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel’ is a complex offering, and an entertaining one at that. It is not easy to fall in love with, but it is incredibly interesting all the same. It is definitely functional, and it does deserve a place in the library of any conscientious music lover. However, it should not be taken lightly; this is recognisable even in the realms of the Mars Volta.