Minutos Musicales: Atlas Sound

Bradford James Cox

Este chaval de 27 años es el miembro único de Atlas Sound, y compatibiliza su labor en solitario con la de ser lider de la banda de Atlanta de nombre Deerhunter.

Nunca he prestado atención a Deerhunter porque su música no coincide con mi estilo (aunque con algo de reposo en el tiempo esto puede cambiar) y los discos de Atlas Sound no me han trasmitido lo que esperaba de ellos en una primera escucha.

Sin embargo, Bradford sabe como transmitir sencillez y emoción sin necesidad de subterfugios de colores en el escenario. Es un creador innato de atmósferas, que maneja de forma sutil a base de sonidos yuxtapuestos.

Capa tras capa y sin nada de presuntuosidad nos acaba conquistando. Convencen sus comentarios, su figura sin acabados artificiales, su presencia tan peculiar y unas ganas enormes de manifestarse que son fruto del esfuerzo personal y creativo de este gran artista.

Os dejo un par de muestras, más que suficientes para darse cuenta de la sutileza de las composiciones:





Y aquí os dejo parte de su historia personal, que hace entender aún más a un artista con un pasado y un futuro muy triste... dejemos este adjetivo para calificarlo.

"Cox was born in 1982 in Athens, Georgia with the genetic disorder Marfan syndrome. As a child he was sexually abused; as a teenager, he dropped out of high school (although later earned a GED) and his parents divorced, leaving him "to live in my childhood home alone. I literally lived in this large suburban house by myself." Cox has called his changing music taste growing up reflective of his life and mental state.

Around the age of ten, Cox's disorder began to affect his body in more visible ways; this is the point at which he "first started looking awkward." With no friends, Cox became interested in how music could sound "heartbreaking or nostalgic or melancholy"; he identified with the character Edward from the film Edward Scissorhands, and especially enjoyed the soundtrack, which was composed by Danny Elfman. Cox has characterized himself as a stoner while he was a teenager; here, his tastes shifted to music that was more "monotonous or hypnotic", such as the Stereolab album Transient Random-Noise Bursts with Announcements.

Around twenty years of age, his life situation brought about "a real druggy period", during which he became "only interested in this certain sort of suburban psychedelic pastoral thing. It was escapism. I didn't want as much emotional manipulation. It's kind of the opposite of Edward Scissorhands." As a professional musician, Cox says he makes "just enough [money] to get by." He considers himself "asexual", in that he has no desire to get married or start a family."