Admittedly, I'm not a big Dan Deacon fan. Spiderman of the Rings had some choice schizo-freak-out jams but didn't seem to garner repeat listens. I saw Mr. Deacon once a few years back at the Judson Church on Mischief Night, part of a NY Mag scavenger hunt-slash-costume party-open bar, which, for better or worse, also included Chromeo (meh). That night was fun, but I sort-of figured I'd had my "Dan Deacon Experience." That said, Wham City's Mayor had his way with the late-night crowd at Primavera Sound. Not only did he clear the floor, start a "dance off" and provide constant dance-move instruction, but he also managed to conduct a fifteen person ensemble. The ensemble is tight, and I mean tight like a husky dude wearing girls jeans tight, and provided a much needed depth to Deacon's electronics work, which, on its own, just isn't as powerful as fifteen musicians banging away. Fortunately for those not in attendance, the fine folks at WFMU recorded the show and are now hosting it on their recently launched Free Music Archive. Snag it here.
Showing posts with label Dan Deacon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dan Deacon. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
mp3: Dan Deacon at Primavera Sound
"I Got A Rattle Snake Gun"
Admittedly, I'm not a big Dan Deacon fan. Spiderman of the Rings had some choice schizo-freak-out jams but didn't seem to garner repeat listens. I saw Mr. Deacon once a few years back at the Judson Church on Mischief Night, part of a NY Mag scavenger hunt-slash-costume party-open bar, which, for better or worse, also included Chromeo (meh). That night was fun, but I sort-of figured I'd had my "Dan Deacon Experience." That said, Wham City's Mayor had his way with the late-night crowd at Primavera Sound. Not only did he clear the floor, start a "dance off" and provide constant dance-move instruction, but he also managed to conduct a fifteen person ensemble. The ensemble is tight, and I mean tight like a husky dude wearing girls jeans tight, and provided a much needed depth to Deacon's electronics work, which, on its own, just isn't as powerful as fifteen musicians banging away. Fortunately for those not in attendance, the fine folks at WFMU recorded the show and are now hosting it on their recently launched Free Music Archive. Snag it here.
Admittedly, I'm not a big Dan Deacon fan. Spiderman of the Rings had some choice schizo-freak-out jams but didn't seem to garner repeat listens. I saw Mr. Deacon once a few years back at the Judson Church on Mischief Night, part of a NY Mag scavenger hunt-slash-costume party-open bar, which, for better or worse, also included Chromeo (meh). That night was fun, but I sort-of figured I'd had my "Dan Deacon Experience." That said, Wham City's Mayor had his way with the late-night crowd at Primavera Sound. Not only did he clear the floor, start a "dance off" and provide constant dance-move instruction, but he also managed to conduct a fifteen person ensemble. The ensemble is tight, and I mean tight like a husky dude wearing girls jeans tight, and provided a much needed depth to Deacon's electronics work, which, on its own, just isn't as powerful as fifteen musicians banging away. Fortunately for those not in attendance, the fine folks at WFMU recorded the show and are now hosting it on their recently launched Free Music Archive. Snag it here.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
review: Dominique Leone
"High up on top, how do you feel..."
Dominique Leone has been one of the better writers at a certain score-obsessed website over the years, and his reviews tended to be of two varieties: either waxing historical about re-releases by the Beatles, Miles Davis, the Beach Boys, Can and John Lennon, or enlightening us on the forefront of burgeoning indie-superstars with reviews of early records by LCD Soundsystem, Animal Collective and Devendra Banhart. It would be easy to say that his self-titled debut draws inspiration from both sources, one foot in the past and one in the future, but that would be a mistake; although the (largely indecipherable) vocals contain allusions to Beach Boys harmonies and Beatles melodies, this record is uncompromisingly set in the 21st century.
Synths dominate, as melodies weave in and out and feedback explodes. Hyperactivity seems to be the running theme, with a touch of prog here and a dab of dance music there. Traditional song structures are abandoned save the gorgeous closer, “Conversational" and album highlight “Goodbye," an unbelievably catchy melding of neo-soul beats and stratospheric Beach Boys harmonies, almost like a lost track from 2007’s best (not a) mashup, Bullion's Pet Sounds: In The Key Of Dee. Elsewhere, “Tension” and “Duyen” feature vocals with minor-key melodies that, for someone reason, remind me of Sgt. Pepper’s “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!,” though no one would ever confuse the music behind them. “Nous Tombons Dans Elle” is extraordinarily fun, a schizo-dance track in the vein of Dan Deacon’s more psychedelic stuff.
In what seems to be a growing trend, this album is adorned with a massive centerpiece of a song, the 13-minute “The Return.” But while Panda Bear’s “Bros” was transcendental in its commitment to melody, Leone’s commits to nothing, wandering between quiet passages and massive bursts of feedback similar to the first few minutes of Avey Tare and Panda Bear’s Spirit They’ve Gone, Spirit They’ve Vanished. “The Return” is an abstract piece with a lot to decipher, but as of right now, it’s my least favorite thing on the album, feeling self-indulgent and unnecessary, even cold. There’s some good stuff in there, but it’s woefully buried.
It’s tempting to label this album as exceedingly “critic-friendly,” partly because it was made by one, and partly because it is the kind of mix of abstraction and familiarity that you can picture most critics getting behind. But that’s not really fair, is it? That’s like saying something is not good because it’s trying to be good. In reality, this is a fantastically ambitious affair that rewards multiple listens, even if you’re not sure what the fuck you’re hearing the first few go-rounds. For now, we should all be giving thanks that Dominique has put down the pen, and picked up the, err, Pro Tools.
Dominique Leone - Nous Tombons Dans Elle
Dominique Leone - Duyen
Dominique Leone has been one of the better writers at a certain score-obsessed website over the years, and his reviews tended to be of two varieties: either waxing historical about re-releases by the Beatles, Miles Davis, the Beach Boys, Can and John Lennon, or enlightening us on the forefront of burgeoning indie-superstars with reviews of early records by LCD Soundsystem, Animal Collective and Devendra Banhart. It would be easy to say that his self-titled debut draws inspiration from both sources, one foot in the past and one in the future, but that would be a mistake; although the (largely indecipherable) vocals contain allusions to Beach Boys harmonies and Beatles melodies, this record is uncompromisingly set in the 21st century.Synths dominate, as melodies weave in and out and feedback explodes. Hyperactivity seems to be the running theme, with a touch of prog here and a dab of dance music there. Traditional song structures are abandoned save the gorgeous closer, “Conversational" and album highlight “Goodbye," an unbelievably catchy melding of neo-soul beats and stratospheric Beach Boys harmonies, almost like a lost track from 2007’s best (not a) mashup, Bullion's Pet Sounds: In The Key Of Dee. Elsewhere, “Tension” and “Duyen” feature vocals with minor-key melodies that, for someone reason, remind me of Sgt. Pepper’s “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!,” though no one would ever confuse the music behind them. “Nous Tombons Dans Elle” is extraordinarily fun, a schizo-dance track in the vein of Dan Deacon’s more psychedelic stuff.
In what seems to be a growing trend, this album is adorned with a massive centerpiece of a song, the 13-minute “The Return.” But while Panda Bear’s “Bros” was transcendental in its commitment to melody, Leone’s commits to nothing, wandering between quiet passages and massive bursts of feedback similar to the first few minutes of Avey Tare and Panda Bear’s Spirit They’ve Gone, Spirit They’ve Vanished. “The Return” is an abstract piece with a lot to decipher, but as of right now, it’s my least favorite thing on the album, feeling self-indulgent and unnecessary, even cold. There’s some good stuff in there, but it’s woefully buried.
It’s tempting to label this album as exceedingly “critic-friendly,” partly because it was made by one, and partly because it is the kind of mix of abstraction and familiarity that you can picture most critics getting behind. But that’s not really fair, is it? That’s like saying something is not good because it’s trying to be good. In reality, this is a fantastically ambitious affair that rewards multiple listens, even if you’re not sure what the fuck you’re hearing the first few go-rounds. For now, we should all be giving thanks that Dominique has put down the pen, and picked up the, err, Pro Tools.
Dominique Leone - Nous Tombons Dans Elle
Dominique Leone - Duyen
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Sunday Brunch: SwitchBurn.TV
"He's got old, cold hands"
Sunday Brunch is a recurring feature where we explore some music related ish that we find enjoyable. In this edition we highlight live music documenteer's SwitchBurn.TV. While, there is no shortage of unique live performance videos competing on the web these days (La Blogotheque's Take Away Shows, The Black Cab Sessions, etc), what makes SwitchBurn.TV so great is that they take us to the most familiar place but provide a unique angle makes viewing a regular gig seem utterly fresh. Like Wallace Steven's "13 Ways of Looking at a Blackbird" (my favorite poem), it's all about perspective.
The concept is simple: the SwitchBurn guys capture a show, like the Black Lips show at Austin's Emo's (above), by using multiple cameras to document different angles. But rather than editing the different angles into a single shot, instead they present all three angles at one time, giving you the feeling of being in the middle of the pit, center stage and on stage all at the same time. Unless you're a total schizo, you've never seen a show the way SwitchBurn.TV presents it. Essentially, they make it possible for you to be in the bathroom, at the bar and raging the front row at the same time. Pretty cool if you ask me. So far these guys have done videos of ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, Dan Deacon, Dead Confederate, {{{Sunset}}}, and the aforementioned Black Lips. Expect more in the near future.
Dan Deacon "Crystal Cat" at Emo's, Austin, Texas 1/11/2008
Sunday Brunch is a recurring feature where we explore some music related ish that we find enjoyable. In this edition we highlight live music documenteer's SwitchBurn.TV. While, there is no shortage of unique live performance videos competing on the web these days (La Blogotheque's Take Away Shows, The Black Cab Sessions, etc), what makes SwitchBurn.TV so great is that they take us to the most familiar place but provide a unique angle makes viewing a regular gig seem utterly fresh. Like Wallace Steven's "13 Ways of Looking at a Blackbird" (my favorite poem), it's all about perspective.
The concept is simple: the SwitchBurn guys capture a show, like the Black Lips show at Austin's Emo's (above), by using multiple cameras to document different angles. But rather than editing the different angles into a single shot, instead they present all three angles at one time, giving you the feeling of being in the middle of the pit, center stage and on stage all at the same time. Unless you're a total schizo, you've never seen a show the way SwitchBurn.TV presents it. Essentially, they make it possible for you to be in the bathroom, at the bar and raging the front row at the same time. Pretty cool if you ask me. So far these guys have done videos of ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, Dan Deacon, Dead Confederate, {{{Sunset}}}, and the aforementioned Black Lips. Expect more in the near future.
Dan Deacon "Crystal Cat" at Emo's, Austin, Texas 1/11/2008
Thursday, November 1, 2007
How We Spent Our Halloween
"We Came to Get Down"
While you kids were out TP'ing the Jones' front yard and egging the Thompson's house, we were raging the New York Magazine Halloween party at the Judson Church featuring White Williams, Kudu, Chromeo and the man himself, Dan Deacon. Lots of slime and an Open bar! Tough to beat. Hope everyone enjoyed the day of the dead.
While you kids were out TP'ing the Jones' front yard and egging the Thompson's house, we were raging the New York Magazine Halloween party at the Judson Church featuring White Williams, Kudu, Chromeo and the man himself, Dan Deacon. Lots of slime and an Open bar! Tough to beat. Hope everyone enjoyed the day of the dead.
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