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Halcyon Digest is the fifth studio album by American indie rock band Deerhunter. It was released September 27, 2010, to universal critical acclaim. It was the band's first album distributed solely by 4AD worldwide (previously 4AD only handled overseas distribution while Kranky handled it within the U.S.) The album was produced by the band and Ben H. Allen, and was recorded at Chase Park Transduction studios in Athens, Georgia with engineer David Barbe. The final track, "He Would Have Laughed" was recorded separately by Bradford Cox at Notown Sound in Marietta, Georgia and is a tribute to Jay Reatard.
It is the band's last album to feature bass guitarist Josh Fauver.
Answering the Q magazine question as to whether the album was "...supposed to sound like a newsletter or bulletin board from somewhere mysterious", Bradford Cox said: "It's supposed to be like a collection of short dispatches". He called the use of the word 'Halcyon' misleading, adding: "It has a lot to do with the way people romanticize the past, even if it was horrific." Victoria Segal. Q magazine, November 2010. Q & A. Halcyon Digest album review. p. 113.
The album artwork was provided by renowned Atlanta photographer George Mitchell. Deerhunter drummer, Moses Archuleta, initially suggested a "stark black and white theme" with Cox ultimately selecting Mitchell's photograph because "it had an immediate connection to the music, especially songs like 'Basement Scene'." "IN THE HEADLIGHTS Deerhunter" , Blurt Magazine. Retrieved 2010-10-21.
The picture portrays Dennis Dinion, a contestant in The Miss Star Lite Pageant at the Star Lite Lounge on Ponce de Leon Avenue in Atlanta, Georgia. It was shot by Mitchell on New Year's Eve, December 31, 1982, the last night the Star Lite was open. Dennis Dinion worked as a substitute teacher in the Atlanta Public Schools. Deerhunter CD cover Bradford Cox described the artwork during an Instagram live on October 31, 2018, saying that a book fell off the shelf and opened to this page and he felt it was fate. It was a photo book of the Ponce de Leon area in Atlanta. Cox spent time in his childhood near the Star Lite Lounge; he was just a few months old the night of the Miss Star Lite Pageant.
About the flyer concept, Cox stated he was inspired by the record promotion he witnessed in the 80s. He recalls:
The album was also included in the 2010 edition of the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. (2025). 9780789320742, Universe. ISBN 9780789320742
The album was ranked the 3rd best album from 2010-2014, and 29th best in the 2010s in lists published by Pitchfork.
As of 2011 it has sold 59,879 copies in United States according to Nielsen SoundScan.
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