Ah, its nice to hear some good old guitar noise again. It's actually become kind of a rare thing - most indie rock these days incorporates kitchen sink instrumentation (Arcade Fire), complex harmonies (Panda Bear), multi-genre exercises (TV On The Radio), pop hooks (The Shins), and on and on. After Nirvana popularized the punk-noise that Sonic Youth perfected, indie rock kind of moved on.
That's why Deerhunter's Microcastle is such a refreshing listen. This band takes the torch passed from Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine, and Pavement. "Agoraphobia" and "Nothing Ever Happens" are catchy, loud, and drive with the urgency "college rock" (as it was then called) did 20 years ago. This band writes some beautiful ones too: "Green Jacket" is a piano and light vocals floating in guitar distortion and "Little Kids" could pass as prime R.E.M.
The record store I found this at had it in the "experimental" section, which seems a bit odd - wasn't this the norm in underground music back in the late 80s? Isn't this just great guitar pop with bad production? How does that make it experimental? It isn't - its just a great reminder of how indie rock got to where it is, and that alone makes it one of the year's most interesting listens.
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