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Dec 21, 2010 Web Exclusive By Hays Davis

With Vol. 4 of Atlas Sound’s Bedroom Databank series, Bradford Cox drives home a key element of his raison d’etre: If he feels moved to do it, why shouldn’t he? Who says that electronic workouts can’t exist next to cross-legged folk?

Though shorter than the previous three volumes, this set contains some of the best of the group as well as some of its more average fare. “Farmland Fantasy” marries pastoral bird chirps and other animal sounds with electronic loops, a bit of a nature/machine coexistence that gets everything off to an interesting start. Some tracks flesh out their obvious acoustic-guitar origins, and Cox manages to vary them enough to avoid them sounding like basic work tapes. Though their voices are dissimilar, the drowsy acoustic strum of “Terrarium” seems to channel Skip Spence’s Oar, while “Spectre” is closer to stripped-down psych-folk.

Of particular note is the gem “Talent Show Audition Tape, Winnipeg 1975,” which deserves full-production treatment. Electric and acoustic guitars and drums graft dissimilar though nicely-juxtaposed sections, switching from a basic ’70s-style rock grind to a swinging garage-pop groove before taking a dueling guitar ride to the finish. The Deerhunter/Atlas Sound website provides a backstory involving other players and referring to this as a 35-year-old recording, reportedly the only track here not recorded in a single day this fall by Cox. Beyond a couple more acoustic tunes and the rhythmic goof of “Wire Brush Stomp,” the unexpected keyboard-and-electronics beauty of “Moonlight on Verlaine” adds one more pleasantly unexpected curve to the mix.

For a commercial release, most of this set would have made a nice addition as part of an expanded Vol. 3, but this generally solid offering is still considerably more than a throwaway freebie. (www.deerhuntertheband.blogspot.com)

Author rating: 6/10