It was an ethereal night as the hardest working man in indie rock serenaded the crowd solo. Bradford Cox, frontman for Deerhunter, returned to South Street Seaport (QRO venue review) in the guise of his side-project, Atlas Sound. However, unlike Deerhunter’s show last year there (QRO live review), or even other Atlas Sound shows, Cox rocked solo.
Cox was all on his own, just he, a folding table, some electronic equipment, and a plugged-in acoustic guitar. It did make him seem very small on the large Seaport stage (and the show began rather quickly – little set-up needed). Without any banter-mates, he was also shyer than in other shows under either guise, making the whole thing even more atmospheric. In many ways, this was more like Atlas Sound’s Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See but Cannot Feel (QRO review) than a full band performance – certainly more like how the album was written, given its ‘all alone in my bedroom’ feel. Pieces like “Cold As Ice”, “Quarantined”, and “Recent Bedroom” hung in the air, over the crowd, with “Bedroom” a particular audience favorite. However, Cox did loosen up a bit at the end, with a “rocker”, the new Atlas Sound song, “Logos”.
Bradford Cox playing “Logos” live at South Street Seaport, NY:
Midway between the release of Let the Blind earlier this year and Deerhunter’s upcoming Microcastle in the fall, has also released slew of seven-inches, including, most recently, a ‘cover swap’ with Jay Reatard. Still, this might be the last Atlas Sound show for a while. If so, Cox ended the Atlas on a high note.