Track of the Day: 'Come Back'

By now, most rock fans have at the very least heard of the "ambient punk" outfit Deerhunter and its outspoken frontman, Bradford Cox. Far less well-known amid the steady stream of praise for the Atlanta act is its guitarist and sometimes vocalist Lockett Pundt, who released his solo debut as Lotus Plaza in 2009 after years of giving away tracks on the quartet's many-purposed blog. Titled The Floodlight Collective (Kranky), the record was a nod to Deerhunter's ambient and experimental music fixations--so much so that some critics found it somewhat middling and forgettable. Truth is, though, that the songs comprising The Floodlight Collective were initial sketches for what was to be. "Come Back," the A-side of a new Lotus Plaza 10" (itself a tease for a new full-length scheduled for 2012), is nine-minute dream pop gem, all shimmery, multi-tracked guitars and ascendant rhythms that feel focused in the singular way that Deerhunter is focused: the "laziness" intentional and the melodies as shrewd as they come.

On iTunes: Lotus Plaza / "Come Back"