Dan Deacon - Spiderman of the Rings Review
by Erika Szabo
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Father figure of Baltimore music collective Wham City, Dan Deacon built his reputation with manic, impossibly catchy pop anthems. Known for his sweat soaked, amped-up performances, Deacon is both intense and personal in show. Sharing the same ground as his audience, Deacon makes his dance-til-you-drop performances worthy of being some of the most creative and loving. Having released seven albums from 2003 to 2006, his latest Spiderman of the Rings compiles all of Deacon's effective attributes into one spanning album of sanguine synths, distorted vocals and capricious casio blasting. Deacon's ear for structure and melody counterbalances his hyperactive qualities and ultimately succeeds in creating immersive and often emotive sounds.
"Wooody Wooodpecker" starts out naοve and even a little neurotic but proves itself to be one of the most organized and intelligent sample songs heard. "The Crystal Cat" is atmospheric thanks to its clever use of synth pads and cheeky vocals. Baltimore anthem "Wham City" sports a playful choir bursting with confetti synths and visionary lyrics you can't help but sing along to. Ambient "Big Milk" slows down Deacon's mostly tweaked out ADD beats with twee-pop percussion. Tripped out glitch party "Okie Dokie" slams and shifts addictively while plutonic "Trippy Green Skull" sashays and cavorts to sunny melodic patterns. "Snake Mistakes" ricochets to down-tempo beats turned 8-bit distortion halfway through. The engaging "Pink Batman" seems the most composed compared to the rest of the songs on Spiderman of the Rings, but rightfully so. Free of Deacon's hyperactive blips this song instead relies on its instrumental-esque charm. Alter-ego of "Pink Batman" is "Jimmy Joe Roche" an emotive and inspiring celebration song. Nestled in 8-bits and electric waves, "Jimmy Joe Roche" will stammer its way into listener's hearts. Spiderman of the Rings has more heart than the typical electronic album. Equipped with his ramshackle (but undoubtedly loved) equipment, Deacon has played over 300 shows in little over 2 years. He has a lot to give to listeners. There's something beautifully absurd about Dan Deacon's hyperactive concoctions - multiple listens are a must. With music this inviting and high-spirited everyone is sure to be invited, but first you have to climb a mountain of snow. Past the big glen, you will find a castle and fountain. This fountain flows gold into a huge hand held by a bear. The bear has a sick band of goats and cats and pigs and bats with brooms and bats and wings and rats and great big dogs like queens and kings, and everyone plays drums and sings of big sharks, sharp swords, beast knees, bees lords, sweet cakes, mace lakes. Oh mamamamamamama!
Track Listing
1. Wooody Wooodpecker
2. The Crystal Cat
3. Wham City
4. Big Milk
5. Okie Dokie
6. Trippy Green Skull
7. Snake Mistakes
8. Pink Batman
9. Jimmy Joe Roche
CD Info and Links
Dan Deacon - Spiderman of the Rings
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