Deerhunter’s 2010 album Halcyon Digest seems like an album that could have come from anywhere. It’s one of those ethereal pieces of art that captures an energy and sound so succinctly that it masks its origins despite loudly displaying them. The album’s title references a Greek myth where one character, Alcyone, commits suicide after discovering the death of her lover Ceyx, at which point the Greek gods turn them both into kingfishers or “halcyon birds.” This begot the phrase “halcyon days,” seven days in the winter when storms never occur, as Alcyone’s father Aeolus, god of the winds, restrains the storms so his daughter can lay her eggs. The phrase has come to mean any days that seem peaceful and calm, usually in reference to the hard times coming afterward.
Juxtapoz Sound and Vision is a weekly segment on our platform dedicated to exploring one piece of substantial album artwork every Sunday. Album artwork is one of the primary ways that musicians and visual artists are able to collaborate, and many iconic album covers are simultaneously iconic pieces of pop art. It’s also an excuse for us to share some of our favorite albums and the visual component behind what makes an album groundbreaking and fun.
February 10th, 2019: Deerhunter’s Halcyon Digest
Cover Photography by George Mitchell
Deerhunter’s 2010 album Halcyon Digest seems like an album that could have come from anywhere. It’s one of those ethereal pieces of art that captures an energy and sound so succinctly that it masks its origins despite loudly displaying them. The album’s title references a Greek myth where one character, Alcyone, commits suicide after discovering the death of her lover Ceyx, at which point the Greek gods turn them both into kingfishers or “halcyon birds.” This begot the phrase “halcyon days,” seven days in the winter when storms never occur, as Alcyone’s father Aeolus, god of the winds, restrains the storms so his daughter can lay her eggs. The phrase has come to mean any days that seem peaceful and calm, usually in reference to the hard times coming afterward.
Deerhunter’s process is described as being almost entirely intuitive. Bradford Cox, the band’s lead singer, write lyrics in a stream-of-consciousness style, and the music coalesces around this. Choosing the album’s cover was done in a similar manner. After drummer Moses Archuleta suggested a monochromatic theme, Cox selected the above photo by George Mitchell as it seemed to effortlessly connect to the lyrical themes on the album. Mitchell is primarily known for his photographs of blues icons, hailing from the band’s hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. His cover photograph features a public school teacher named Dennis Dinion who was performing in the Miss Star Lite Pageant at Atlanta’s Star Light Lounge on New Years Eve, 1982. In the vein of nostalgia the photo captures and harkens back to a lost time just as the album aims to.
