Deerhunter: Fading Frontier

4AD

Fading Frontier is the first Deerhunter album to dress down the group’s legacy of fiery and phantasmagoric avant-garde rock. “Living My Life,” “Breaker,” and “Take Care,” embrace a pop aesthetic that is the antithesis of the bold spirit that established Deerhunter as one of the most intriguing experimental rock acts of the millennium. The reduction of Deerhunter’s noisy elements yields nine numbers that are difficult to distinguish from the pretty but ineffectual sounds of Beach House, Washed Out, Real Estate, et al. The album still revels in Deerhunter’s characteristically sweeping melodies and delicate song structures. And “Snakeskin,” is a cool and cocksure strut. But the rich and complex layers of sound are absent, resulting in an album that is graceful, but somewhat prosaic. ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆