When I first listened to Halcyon Digest, the latest offering from Atlanta’s Deerhunter, I was not struck. In fact, I said to myself “well, thank goodness I have MicroCastles and Cryptograms” because I adore those Deerhunter albums, and essentially was listening for the same things in this new collection, and for the most part, heard those things. The sparse psych number, the occasional powerjam, and all of the usual evocative scene-setting and hyper-delayed lusciousness. It was all there, like its predecessors that I love, and so I did not walk away from that listen with any kind of impression. I didn’t really even think that I would write this review. And I slept on it. When I got back up, I decided to try it again, and this time, it really clicked.

This album DOES offer you all of the things that you love about Deerhunter, from it’s ambitiousness to it’s production intricacies, reflecting countless hours of care and attention, to get it all just the right balance of concrete and soup. It does have the automatic classics and the down-tempo dream tracks but what it separates itself from the pack with is this: there is a bright streak in this album… a heartbeat that hasn’t ever been so prominent in Bradford Cox and Company’s previous “cool but kinda cold” offerings. There is a playfulness and sweetness that shows through in not only Cox’s delivery, but also the production and orchestration, even at the album’s more melancholy points. And at many points on this album, there is just less delay and reverb than normal, bringing us just a little bit closer, which makes a big difference.

And these things are what pull at your heart, instead of just being entertaining. Having recognized these things, every repeat listen to Halcyon Digest has been more and more rewarding.

Recommended track: “Helicopter”