Atlas Sound - 'Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel' (4AD) Released 05/05/08

Although Bradford Cox, the sonic crusader that is Atlas Sound, is more widely known within the ATP-friendly crowd as the frontman of psychedelic punks Deerhunter, his debut solo outing ‘Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel’ (with all the biblical connotations that may entail) is a glancing departure from the work of his day job: the swirling Germanic repetition and engrossing ambience is still there, albeit replacing the scuzzy guitar textures and physicality of old with a sound that embraces gentle electronics and inward charm.

In fact musically ‘Let The Blind…’ makes a wonderful companion piece to last year’s stunning Panda Bear release ‘Person Pitch’. Not only is there the superficial similarity of the respective artists creating these records as perceived “side-projects” from their more famous bands, but the greater tangible idea that both are content to work within recognisable boundaries; not in a blind act of hero-worship as such, but as a foundation for some intensely personal creativity. So whereas Panda Bear channelled the harmonic richness of The Beach Boys as a base from which to launch off into a frankly mesmerising stratosphere, so Atlas Sound has picked up on the dreamy waves of prime My Bloody Valentine (‘Recent Bedroom’ has a wonderful backdrop of heavily layered guitars that takes a few listens to pick apart) and ‘Soft Bulletin’-era Flaming Lips (‘On Guard’ melds a Coyne-esque falsetto with ambient percussion to brilliant, if testing, effect).

For someone so prolific it’s pleasing to note that some effort has gone into track selection and momentum here: beginning with a child’s fumbling narration of a ghost story and ending on another soaring wash of ambience, like all those great Eno records you’ll only get to hear on BBC nature programmes, ‘Let The Blind…’ is an album best listened to as one work, complete with sagging middle section (both ‘Cold As Ice’ and ‘Scraping Past’ seem too content to rest on glitchy, Four Tet-esque laurels to really capture the imagination) and a scattering of exceptional tracks. The standout of these is ‘River Card’, an impossibly pretty three minutes built on minimal drum loops and resigned vocals which is all the more affecting for being about a failed infatuation.

If, as can be expected (and as everyone seems to agree), Bradford Cox’s experiences as a teenager with Marfan syndrome are inexorably linked with his musical output since, then ‘Let The Blind…’ is the epitome of this idea: hopeful, affecting and forward-looking. Still to come in the next 12 months are a new Deerhunter album and a collaboration with Karen O on the soundtrack for upcoming Jonze/Eggers-adaptation ‘Where The Wild Things Are’. If either of those projects are as rewarding as ‘Let The Blind…’, then we can all count ourselves as being very lucky indeed.