dan deacon

it's political, thomp

tbf i kind of love him so i will probably listen to this as immediately as i am capable of

I gave Bromst a glowing review back when it first came out but somehow never went back to it.

I know where this is coming from, I really think Bromst is excellent, but it's almost too overwhelming to ever *want* to listen to sometimes. I don't think this is a strike against Deac; when that glitched out buzz honk that starts "Red F" comes on I always wonder if I'm really up for this, but in the end I'm always thinking that the album is a modern masterpiece. Like with Spiderman of the Rings I always remembered thinking that "Crystal Cat" and "Wham City" were so cool, wouldn't it be great if he made like, and entire album like that? And that's what Bromst is.

Exactly. It's more something I can appreciate for its craft than something I can truly enjoy.

I honestly think Bromst is a modern classic. It is a task to get through however. Generally I'll pop on 'Surprise Stefani' if I just need a taste as that track's got pretty much everything awesome about the album wrapped up in one imo

IMO, every track has everything awesome about the album wrapped up in one tune (outside of that brief vocal thing). I remember when P4K previewed "Snookered", I thought it was alright, but also thought, "I really hope this isn't the best he's got"; then when I actually heard the album I realized that "Snookered" was actually supposed to be the "mellow" tune, and that P4K likely chose it because it was the only one that was halfway comprehensible. I do definitely agree with the "modern classic" label, I can't forsee anything else sounding quite like this unless it comes from Deacon himself.

this is lovely so far

i wavered but i think i'm anti-bromst. one day i will make myself i. actually make the tent ii. give it another chance.

Thinking about putting together a comp of Deacon's pre-Spiderman stuff, there's probably like five hours of material out there but a lot of it really isn't very good, lots of chaos and art school type experiments and sine wave junk but also some real keepers that your typical "Dan Deacon guy" probably knows nothing about

the only one i was familiar before Spiderman was Acorn Master and that one is pretty good

'My Own Face is F Word' is a standout of his early stuff, IMO. the really arty/prank shit with the stupid names are entertaining in small does. 'Aerosmith Layer' is so obnoxious that I have to give him some credit for making it.

frogbs i am weirdly touched that you are a dan deacon fan

the pre-spiderman thing i heard was a composition-with-improv-tendencies thing, i think. i wasn't really feeling it. the new album was really good, and i don't want to risk listening again, because i might retroactively be disappointed.

on the other hand i am also avoiding listening to the new why? so as to not be proactively disappointed so okay there's another thirty-three volumes of dick's picks to get through who's with me

'Aerosmith Layer' is so obnoxious that I have to give him some credit for making it.

This is what I like about him - I remember reading someone who said that if a hyperactive 6-year old could describe his ideal musician, it would be Dan Deacon. Give a 6-year old the technology, and he will see what it sounds like to hear every Aerosmith song at once. Granted its a good thing he only does "Permanent Vacation" because I do find it funny how "Dude Looks Like a Lady" is recognizable through a bit chunk of it.

Okay. Finally got my copy of it. On first listen; very good. First half is sort of like the sequel to Bromst, but with maybe a more three dimensional sound. The USA suite is not completely unlike Deacon, but it has a big Reich influence. Sounds like 15-20 musicians in the room, each one playing their one note at different intervals, it's really quite hypnotic, and I didn't want the piece to end. If anything I'm disappointed that he kept this in the 40-45 minute zone instead of an hour like Bromst.

two sides, yo

feel like not being able to listen to this as my train pulls out of penn station is turning me against it a bit, somehow

AMERICA is such a monumental work, so good to see Dan evolving past the half retarded man child image a lot of people pigeonholed him in, not that he was ever completely that, but he certainly played into it and still does to a degree. seeing him at the ottobar in baltimore in two weeks, maybe the 8th or 9th? time i've seen him, can't wait, i have my dan deacon phone app readi

if anyone's interested I have a recording of a super early version of USA called USAISAMONSTER from a show I saw the annex in bmore at a space called the Nicholas Cage on 9/11/09 and it fucking rules, i'll post it up if anyone wants that. he played crystal cat, red f, and two other new songs that didnt make the LP: Konono Ripoff #1 and Ramp Rock/Fergle.

would definitely be interested in that

a show I saw the annex in bmore at a space called the Nicholas Cage

baltimore warehouse space kids are just the worst sometimes

"the Nicholas Cage" is hilarious

here's the whole set

DAN DEACON - THE NICOLAS CAGE, COPYCAT ANNEX, BALTIMORE MD - 9/11/09
http://www.mediafire.com/?5qg9a8ebcohaq

intro
Red F
Ramp Rock aka Fergle
Konono Ripoff #1
USAISAMONSTER
The Crystal Cat

the pa cuts out a bunch during USA, not completely tho but it's not that bad. lots of people smashing against his shit and fucking it up. sound problems not that bad tho

thanks. will have to dl that tonight.

dunno why I even bothered to read the p4k review of this. it makes no sense whatsoever. this is a serious album of the year contender.

yup pfork review is nonsense. they can't reconcile his seriousness with his goofiness, which is fucking stupid

? doesnt read that way to me

I was exhausted after the end of this record.

it's recorded so horribly, i like the music though

I just hate quotes like this

"Prettyboy" is gorgeous, undoubtedly, but it's still on the level of really top-shelf video game music.

I'm not really much of a gamer but how is this a bad thing

I guess it implies the music lacks depth beyond that novelty?

that's the thing. video game music HAS depth. especially the "top-shelf" stuff. I mean the review isn't necessarily horrible as usual, just that it does not really tell a whole lot about the album and why it's better/worse than the other two.

it also stupidly suggests that there is one thing called "video game music"

I think that sentence needs to be quoted in context, which suggests that jess is using "video game music" as shorthand for energetic intensity versus a more varied use of dynamics, rather than lack of depth. You might still disagree with that of course but it's not what the quote seems to imply in isolation:

"That first half proves the less successful, though at the same time the opening three-song run may be the best thing Deacon's ever recorded. For all its jittery and hyper-percussive excess, with cartoon-tribal drums the lead voice on "Guilford Avenue Bridge" (the breaks of which sound a little like Don Caballero playing a hoedown) and static all but drowning out Deacon's own voice on "Lots" (gleeful yelping in search of transcendence), this stuff flows, which is increasingly one of Deacon's great virtues as an album programmer. If his earliest records could feel like various intensities slammed at you until you staggered away dizzy or elated or both, he's grown much more assured at dynamics, bringing you in and taking you along for the ride.
And that opening run's got "True Thrush" stuck in the middle, Deacon's most affecting song so far. Deacon's singing is clear and sad-eyed, though he still can't resist digitally scrunching his voice into computer pixie noises at various points, and he even throws in some angelic back-up harmonies, which make an unselfconsciously beautiful counterpoint to the information-overload of the music. It's the middle of the album that fizzles slightly after the bracing crunch and buzz of the first three songs, which bring new emotional dimensions to Deacon's music without totally skimping on the energy that was his earlier stuff's reason for being. "Prettyboy" is gorgeous, undoubtedly, but it's still on the level of really top-shelf video game music."

lol @ u nerds getting all defensive about video game music

yes how embarrassing for...us

http://cheeseontoast.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/dan-deacon-web.jpeg

hahaha

it also stupidly suggests that there is one thing called "video game music"

― Jandek at the Disco (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Tuesday, September 4, 2012 5:19 PM (4 hours ago) Bookmark

i dunno it's pretty dense to pretend that 'video game music' doesn't evoke bleepy 8 bit Atari soundtracks for most people

like jazz takes a million different shapes but it's ok if people hear the word jazz and think walking basslines and hi-hat tappin'

video game music isn't just bleeps & bloops; scores are rearranged played by symphony orchestras across the world!

i think the second sentence is the key to some dude's post and i think he's 100% otm. it isn't that video game music IS one thing, its how it may be perceived by a large chunk of the population.

dan deacon will be regarded the way riley is today in 50 years

tel, vin or ted?

Lol either way

anyone seen him and his ensemble on their current US tour? i'm seeing them this saturday in Baltimore - eager to see if the smartphone app is any good.

and imo America is really holding up listen after listen...I wonder how many people going to the shows have heard it or are just looking to dance/be goofy/hear the crystal cat

finally d/led that boot...I'll post thoughts later

I do think America is going to hold up as well. I listened to it on headphones for the first time yesterday and it was incredible. Previously I had only listened to it in my car. My woofer goes nuts for Dan Deacon so I hadn't noticed everything underneath the surface there.

like this song, fuck this app

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OF9dtgNvrcI

haven't listened to america yet but his new mashup cd is great

latest listen to America after putting it away for a month+: this is really, really good. I'm still unsure if it's better than Bromst but given the way his music sounds I think the shorter runtime is probably better. I definitely get the "two sides" concept and feel now that side two really makes you forget about side one (as good as it is). When I listened to it in the car the hairs on the back of my neck stood up for the whole thing. I actually wish it were 5-10 minutes longer. You can listen to the entire album or just the "USA" part and it's satisfying. I think "Great American Desert" is the best part of it but "Rail" is really intriguing, I feel like this is the kind of thing DD's going to do a lot more of in the future.

either way I'm still kind of irritated by the way a lot of reviewers are handling this album. I think Deacon's persona is not really an act at all, he really does seem like an enthusiastic goofball in everything he does, I dunno why some writers think that this guy has to put out stuff like Spiderman of the Rings his whole career or else he's overstepping his boundaries. to me SotR was about layering sounds past the breaking point which seems like Deac's main obsession. He hasn't exactly stopped doing that...

had no idea what to expect, but he put on a really fun show last night in millennium park.