Deerhunter's Visual Style

micket · **Joined:** Tue Sep 29, 2009 2:23 pm **Posts:** 9

Hello.

As part of my university major work, I am creating a digital music experience of Deerhunter's album, Microcastle. It's going to be a touch interactive animation/illustration that gives the user a digital visual/tactile experience of the band's music.

What I want to know is, as fans of their music, what do you think is Deerhunter's visual style? That is, what sorts of pictures/auras/feelings come to mind when you listen to the songs on the album (Individual songs & the album as a whole)?

I know Bradford has designed some (all?) of their album covers, and they are often a mixture of cut and paste photography/hand-generated typography, so I am trying to incorporate this while also demonstrating my skills in ink illustration and animation. Do you think there is a place for illustration in the representation of their music?

And if you could touch their music, what would you expect it to feel like?

Thanks in advance and looking forward to hearing what you have to say!

Michaela.

theophany · **Posted:** Tue Sep 29, 2009 4:59 pm

It's a very old, classic style. A good example is the weird era shirts, that very old comic-book advertisement style (and the weird era zine). It's very melancholy and possibly sad. That's not bad though. If there was a video, it'd just have a lot of old stuff on black and white. Kind of like that Benjamin Smoke DVD trailer Bradford showed a while back; very sentimental and touching. I also picture a lot of halftone patterns. That's very comic book-y as well, with the a lot of small dots to create a pattern, and eventually an image. That's extremely sentimental as well, because you just get half of the image. Especially with warm colors.

Like this:

Does this make sense?
I kind of feel like I'm explaining more of Atlas Sound.
Hope this helps, I probably didn't answer the question but whatever.

paramedicfetus · **Joined:** Mon Apr 21, 2008 9:58 pm **Posts:** 114

I have always loved Bradford's explanation of Spring Hall Convert was inspired in part by the visual image/photo he took of his friend while they were spun. The picture really captures the essence of much of the band's aesthetic, imo.

http://deerhuntertheband.blogspot.com/2 ... ey-ep.html

http://deerhuntertheband.blogspot.com/2 ... nvert.html

Quote:

Spring Hall Convert:

So I woke up
In a radio freeze
Occupied by a couple of girls
I knew from
Way back when, where
Oh, I had my face like the ocean
So I’d radiate but
Too much radiation
I walk around like a walker
And like a walker
Always choosing where to go
And where to be

Radiation

Too much radiation

So long loneliness

So far from home

(When I was sixteen I was hospitalized for extensive surgeries on my chest ribs and back because of marfan's. That entire summer was like completley erased. I was in a coma for a couple of weeks. I got to really understand what its like to not be well. I've always sort of understood, growing up with marfan's, but this was hardcore shit. I wrote this song transposing this high school acid trip where i saw my two best friends back then, Sarah and Chrissy, bathed in this golden spring light in the hallway of my highschool and felt really close to them, like we were sisters. I always felt genderless around them. I actually took a photo of them in that hallway that day which i will find and upload. If the song could be captured visually, this photo would be it. Anyways, I was trying to transpose the concepts of illness (in this case I was writing from the perspective of someone going in and out of conciousness during chemotherapy, and how they would miss their friends, their past experiences, and anything that reminded them of normalcy, or a time before misery. Nostalgia as anesthetic)

munch · **Joined:** Thu Nov 27, 2008 10:53 am **Posts:** 591

I always picture old, over exposed film out the side of a car window, going past trees and mountains and shit.

And if that DEERHUNTER, MICROCASTLE, microcastle etc. picture is your creation.. I reckon it'd look better if it went DH,MC, DH, MC.

But that's just me.

cutehead79 · **Joined:** Wed Nov 26, 2008 12:09 am **Posts:** 304

bradford posted a link to these videos made by a friend/fan of the band. might be helpful, http://deerhuntertheband.blogspot.com/2 ... -adam.html

flourbed · **Posted:** Thu Oct 01, 2009 2:18 am

If I were to touch Deerhunter's music I would expect it to feel like hot blankets straight from the dryer.

Grayscale · **Posted:** Thu Oct 01, 2009 10:11 am

Twilight (afternoon)

Suburban Houses (middle to lower income suburbia)

Youth (boys mostly, exploring sexuality)

Curiosity

Josh · **Posted:** Thu Oct 01, 2009 1:59 pm

Nostalgia, Adolescent depression.

Fuchikoma · **Posted:** Thu Oct 01, 2009 6:33 pm

When I listen to Cryptograms, the mental pictures I get all have the same feeling. They tend to be the same colors as well. It's kind of like a novel. Microcastle is different.The mental pictures and colors change for every song. It's almost like a collection of short stories.

Most of the time I listen to music I kind of make up a music video for the song in my head. The videos I've thought up from Cryptograms have lots of visual effects and tend to be interpretations. The Microcastle videos are all literal. So basically when I listen to Twilight At Carbon Lake, I imagine someone going to the center of a parking lot and crying, then getting on a ship and waving goodbye to everything. There's not much imagination I guess.

I think I could offer way more help as to pictures/auras/feelings if you were doing your project on their other albums, but Microcastle is pretty much spelled out in my brain.

WiseGuy · **Joined:** Wed May 13, 2009 5:59 pm **Posts:** 117

Josh wrote:

Adolescent depression.

This.

Dr. Glass · **Joined:** Sun Apr 20, 2008 8:45 pm **Posts:** 1641

what about childhood trauma

Ghost Rock · **Posted:** Thu Oct 01, 2009 8:07 pm

Corpses rotting and blinding light. Astral projection....

micket · **Joined:** Tue Sep 29, 2009 2:23 pm **Posts:** 9

Hey, thanks you guys! All really valuable & interesting. It's cool to get feedback from people who are fans of the band as what I'm creating is targeted at the listeners.

I'd love to show you guys some of what I've done and where I'm headed and see what you think.

@theophany: I didn't actually realise until your post that the Weird Era shirts are sort of where I was headed with my design for Microcastle. I'd been working with a sort of halloween theme and in browns and oranges because I felt this suited the band. I'm finding it difficult to be original while still fitting in with their existing look, dang it!

Also, does anyone know where I can find some good lyrics for the songs? I've looked around & obv listened to the music myself, but it's really hard to get accurate lyrics except for songs like Agoraphobia where the vocals are really clear...

Josh · **Posted:** Fri Oct 02, 2009 2:25 am

http://www.songmeanings.net/artist/view ... 438977716/

micket · **Joined:** Tue Sep 29, 2009 2:23 pm **Posts:** 9

Hello,

It has been a while since I last posted.

I have developed Deerhunter's visual style somewhat. I have attached a poster to see what you think - this will be two-colour screenprinted probably in brown and gold. I'd also love for you guys to give me some feedback on my animation storyboards when they're done (hopefully within the next 1-2 days).

Any feedback would be invaluable, but if you'd like guidance, maybe you could tell me how the image makes you feel, how you think it relates to the album, what you think of the colours, what sorts of moods are evoked by it.

Cheers,

Michaela

Deerhunter's Visual Style

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