From the moment Halcyon Digest begins, you’re swept inside Deerhunter’s dream. The Atlanta band have an unbelievable knack at submersing you within their world. But this is an incredibly dark fantasy.
At the center of the record’s sleeve accompanying the song Helicopter, is a story written by Dennis Cooper about a Russian boy named Dimitry Marakov or Dima. Dima was born in 1986 and had aspirations of getting into the fashion industry. Due to financial and parental restrictions, he leaves his family to go live with an older fashion photographer. As time passes he becomes the man’s lover while continuing his dream to go to college. Dima eventually falls into pornography and eventually male prostitution, his story becoming shrouded in mystery as he is sold into organized crime as a sex slave. It’s revealed later that he was likely murdered some time in 2005 after being pushed out of a helicopter.
While influencing at least one song, I have a hard time ignoring the way that Dima’s tale pervades the entire album. Halcyon begins with lyrics full of hope and ambition. As it continues, the theme of aging and lost youth are around every corner.
Even if I’m wrong about the whole album containing a touch of Cooper’s story, the one song where it is clearly told is Helicopter. It’s here where Dima’s journey reaches a calamitous end. But while the subject matter is incredibly sad, it’s anything but bleak. Instead Cox manages to transform it into a melancholy lullaby where the character woefully laments that the devil has come to collect him. The tragedy is compounded with this heavy lyric: “No one cares for me. I keep no company. I have minimal needs. And now they are through with me.”
While this may sound like the world’s most depressing album, it’s far from it. The music is beautiful and immersing. Topped off with the pristine vocals of lead singer Bradford Cox, the album demands multiple listens.
Like Microcastles, Halcyon Digest is incredibly moody while having the ability to never become stale. I often come home late at night and listen to it before drifting off. Deerhunter sing me my bedtime story and surprisingly, I somehow manage to not have nightmares.
Top Tracks: Desire Lines, Helicopter, Coronado
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