Flavorwire

Earlier this week, we had the privilege of hearing the new Atlas Sound record. Our professional opinion thus far is that the album is really good, and it got us thinking about how much more we like Bradford Cox’s solo project than his work with Deerhunter. Anyway, this in turn got us thinking about other cases where we’ve enjoyed a musician’s side project more than their “real” band. We’ve pulled together a selection of our favorites after the jump, and for these purposes, we’re calling anything formed while the musician was still in their former band a side project (so Sebadoh count, but a band like, say, New Order doesn’t). Anyway, as ever, we’d love to hear your suggestions.

Atlas Sound

Deerhunter have certainly had their moments — in particular, we were big fans of Microcastle — but listening to their extended psych jams (especially in a live setting) can be like being punched in the head repeatedly by a large man. On his own, Cox seems to embrace the subtlety that his band often lack, and the songs are the better for it.