The third track from Deerhunter's new, and absolutely brilliant, LP Halcyon Digest, “Revival” is aptly named. It's a song about not just discovering, but rediscovering the joys and inspiration that comes from making music. It starts off with a sharp, crisp and precise acoustic beat; as if it was designed for a no nonsense sort of efficiency. But as Bradford Cox transitions into the chorus his mood and style transition into something a little more broad and expansive. As he sings he- in a sort of real time way- creates this swelling, cascading sense of realization and epiphany. “Darkness, always... it doesn't make much sense”, he preaches. Its as if he has begun to understand that creation can be a cathartic process, not a dreary and painstaking motion. The way he performs is as if he's not just letting us in on something he recently discovered, but as if he is stumbling upon this enlightenment right along with us. Listen to the way he slows down his pacing just a little bit during the chorus. It's masterful and a big step forward for an artist that has never really been synonymous with any optimistic descriptors.
