Deerhunter - Microcastle/Weird Era Cont.

• Gatefold
• No lyrics

• Album Rating (Microcastle): 4/5 (Great)
• Album Rating (Weird Era Cont.): 3/5 (Okay)
• Sound Quality: 4/5 (Great)
• Packaging: 4.5/5 (Excellent)

With Deerhunter's third studio album, titled Microcastle, the band began to experiment with a more mature, pop-oriented sound that would later be fully realized on Microcastle's successor; Halcyon Digest. Although Deerhunter did have a loyal following before the release of this album, it was the band's prominent shift in direction from ambient-shoegaze to more mainstream indie rock (while still maintaining their shoegaze roots) that solidified their position as a band to follow in the indie rock scene.

Microcastle is a great album from start to finish. From the melodic "Agoraphobia", sung by guitarist Lockett Pundt, to the epic standout track "Nothing Ever Happened". The middle of the album is significantly slower paced than the beginning and end, featuring tracks that incorporate ambient atmospheres together with the beautiful melodies that define the album.

As if one album wasn't enough, Deerhunter decided to make this release a double-album. On the second disc is Weird Era Cont., a collection of mostly less than stellar b-sides from Microcastle; it still has some excellent tracks that are definitely worth a listen, and considering it's free of charge, you really can't go wrong.

The vinyl sounds great; certainly not on par with it's successor Halcyon Digest, but still a solid recording that should not be missed.

The original vinyl release of Microcastle features alternate cover art and is pressed on white vinyl. The re-release version (the one that I have) is packaged in a heavyweight gatefold sleeve and is pressed on black.

Buy Microcastle/Weird Era Cont. on vinyl here (Amazon): Microcastle [Vinyl]