Deerhunter is undoubtedly one of the most popular bands on the independent scene today, and with good reason. They are masters of their craft, and with Bradford Cox as their mysterious and innovative front man, they have created some very memorable and amazing music. From 2007's drone of "Cryptograms" to the band finding their own feeling and sound on 2008's "Microcastle", it is evident that they have some real talent as musicians.
However, I have recently become increasingly aware of the influence of Brian Eno on Deerhunter's sound. Don't get me wrong, it's good, even subconsciously unavoidable, to utilize one's influences when creating any kind of art, but it seems that front man Bradford Cox and guitarist Lockett Pundt have overused, and possibly even stolen, aspects that stem directly from Eno's songs. Take Eno's 1974 Masterpiece "Here Come the Warm Jets". Several, if not all of the songs on this album, have been directly referenced and even copied by Deerhunter.
Not only are the notes, riffs, and styles copied, but also the tones and settings of the instruments in general. It's surprising that I seem to be one of the first people to pick up on this, since Cox has cited Eno as an influence. I am a huge fan of Deerhunter as well as Brian Eno, however these similarities are a little too much for comfort if you ask me.
To make it easier to draw the connections, I'll show you track by track.
1. Needle In The Camel's Eye (Here Come The Warm Jets) - The guitar tone and chord on this song is exactly the same as the one in "Strange Lights" on Deerhunter's "Cryptograms". This same guitar tone can also be heard on many other Deerhunter tracks. They use it a lot. Also, at 1:20 on this track, the note progression almost directly mimics that of the progression on "Desire Lines" from "Halcyon Digest".
2. Cindy Tells Me (Here Come The Warm Jets) - On this track, Eno builds a dark, basement-like fog of ambience, which is heard in the same form (ironically) on Deerhunter's "Basement Scene" from "Halycon Digest". Another correlation in these two songs is the use of the same quick, doo-wop style chords.
3. On Some Faraway Beach (Here Come The Warm Jets) - The "aaah-aahs" in this song are used in the same rhythm and progression on Deerhunter's "Revival" (Halcyon Digest), and on "Dot Gain" (Weird Era Cont.).
4. Here Come the Warm Jets (Here Come The Warm Jets) - This track also contains that eerie ambience that seems to be strictly associated with Deerhunter. Surely they mimicked many of Eno's recording and production techniques in the studio.
5. The Paw Paw Negro Torch (Here Come The Warm Jets) - The last half of this track has a repetitive hi-hat rhythm and a bouncy bass line which distinctly correspond and are copied on Deerhunter's "Octet" (Cryptograms). Also the way this song moves in general is relative to that Deerhunter track.
Like I said before, it's great to utilize influences and nod to other artists, but I felt that this couldn't be ignored. There are obviously other strikingly similar Deerhunter-Eno connections, but Here Come The Warm Jets is the most obvious and easy to grasp upon first listen. I'm not ignoring the fact that Brian Eno pioneered ambient music, nor am I claiming that he never influenced any other artists, but these similarities seem too close. I love both of these artists, I just hope that Deerhunter can find a more original sound on their next record for Eno's sake.
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