'Floodlight Collective' showcases Pundt's talent

Working with two groups, Lockett Pundt proves his musical worth.

By Tom Carbone

Published March 9, 2009

It's pretty hard to stand out when your critically acclaimed band is fronted and known best by the lead singer. This is especially true in the case of Deerhunter, a psychedelic five-piece out of Atlanta.

Led by frontman Bradford Cox, Deerhunter has released quite a few critically acclaimed records -- four, in as many years. And although this critical support greatly helped the band get in the spotlight, Cox still wrote solo material on the side in a project called Atlas Sound. But what Deerhunter fans probably didn't expect to happen anytime soon was Deerhunter guitarist Lockett Pundt recording and releasing a solo effort this year, giving him his own run for the spotlight.

The Floodlight Collective, the debut from Pundt's side project, Lotus Plaza, is a natural progression from the Deerhunter releases we've been hearing the last few years. Filled with ambient soundscapes, elements of noisy punk and other influences galore, Pundt has created a record that longtime and newly-minted Deerhunter fans alike will enjoy. So far, word of mouth and blogs have been pushing the release, but its March debut on the legendary Kranky Records is sure to bring Pundt's side project to the forefront.

"Red Oak Way," the first song on the album, is a blissful journey through Pundt's distorted, dreamy vocals. Layers of distortion and pop elements set the stage for the record, and the strange cover art finally makes sense after listening to this track. The dreamy, melodic vibe this first track produces is astoundingly well hashed, and the Deerhunter history comes through strongly in this track while remaining unique to Lotus Plaza.

About halfway through the album comes the heavily rock-influenced "What Grows?" Distorted and infused with the distinct shoegaze vibes Deerhunter is known for, Pundt creates a track that is haunting, yet pleasing all at once. His muffled vocals create an ethereal feel, even though I can hardly understand the words coming out of his mouth.

"Sunday Night," is by far the most developed and well crafted on the album. Melodically, it's reminiscent of any great dream pop album or you've heard in the last 30 years, and Pundt's pop vocals are superb as usual. Again, an understanding of the lyrics would probably aid in analyzing the track, but in all honesty, we're probably not missing out on that much by not understanding what the hell he's saying.

It's strange Lockett Pundt has been overshadowed for so long by Bradford Cox, but Pundt's debut full-length is a very interesting and unique piece of work that should dispel any rumors Cox is the sole mastermind behind Deerhunter. Between Atlas Sound and Deerhunter, Cox has been on critic's minds for the past few years, but 2009 is the year for Pundt to prove there's much more to Deerhunter than their well-known (and very skinny) lead singer. In fact, anyone who enjoys this record owes another fresh listen to Microcastle, Deerhunter's last effort, in order to give Pundt the chance to prove himself on this record too.