Baltimore electronic artist and founder of the Wham City art collective Dan Deacon follows up his much-loved 2007 record “Spiderman of the Rings” with “Bromst,” on which he endeavors away from full-on digital mania and even includes some acoustic instruments and live drums. Those who have seen Deacon perform know that the live show is his claim to fame, as he’s often (if not always) immersed amongst the crowd, encouraging audience participation and, to believers, inspiring an uplifting sense of community. To nonbelievers, though, it’s just distraction from what’s at best mediocre electro-pop, flashy and sloppy “I’m-one-of-you” posturing that masks weaknesses in the songs. As honest and heartfelt as Deacon seems, it’s difficult to get the sense that his work would take much more effort to write and record than a week holed up in a well-equipped basement. So when we’re informed via “Bromst”‘s one-sheet that Deacon’s been working on the record for three years, bullshit’s gotta be called. That’s not to say there aren’t sublime moments on the record—”Red F” has a neat passage in the middle, “Paddling Ghost” swirls elegantly throughout and “Snookered” flirts with prettiness—but what does it all amount to? Not too much, especially for a record that’s sixty-four-minutes long. “Been wrong so many times before, but never quite like this” he sings on “Snookered.” Hey, maybe after this show I’ll be singing the same thing, but I doubt it. On this tour, he strings along a live “ensemble,” so expect more showmanship. (Tom Lynch)
Dan Deacon and Ensemble plays May 7 at Metro, 3730 N. Clark, (773)549-0203.
For “Want” of a Change: A Preview of Rufus Wainwright at Ravinia Park Rufus Wainwright isn’t the first singer-songwriter to reinterpret earlier work through an orchestral lens. And much of Wainwright’s third and fourth albums, “Want One” and “Want Two”—whose twentieth anniversaries are the prompt for this new tour—is fully scored. But when Wainwright hits the Pavilion stage at Ravinia tonight, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra will be behind him.
Brutal Finesse: A Preview of King Crimson at Ravinia There have been few new compositions from King Crimson these past two decades, but the live arrangements of songs from its catalog are often strikingly different than the recorded versions.
Cooling It: A Preview of Colleen Green at Cole’s Bar When Green strums power chords or chiming notes on top of her backing track, you might think you’re at Ramones karaoke night and Madonna is taking her turn.
Can’t-Miss Music Events (Fall Arts Preview 2023) This fall we get new albums and tours from iconic acts like Wilco and Kurt Elling, plus a Corrine Bailey Rae project inspired by Theaster Gates' Stony Island Arts Bank.
Baltimore electronic artist and founder of the Wham City art collective Dan Deacon follows up his much-loved 2007 record “Spiderman of the Rings” with “Bromst,” on which he endeavors away from full-on digital mania and even includes some acoustic instruments and live drums. Those who have seen Deacon perform know that the live show is his claim to fame, as he’s often (if not always) immersed amongst the crowd, encouraging audience participation and, to believers, inspiring an uplifting sense of community. To nonbelievers, though, it’s just distraction from what’s at best mediocre electro-pop, flashy and sloppy “I’m-one-of-you” posturing that masks weaknesses in the songs. As honest and heartfelt as Deacon seems, it’s difficult to get the sense that his work would take much more effort to write and record than a week holed up in a well-equipped basement. So when we’re informed via “Bromst”‘s one-sheet that Deacon’s been working on the record for three years, bullshit’s gotta be called. That’s not to say there aren’t sublime moments on the record—”Red F” has a neat passage in the middle, “Paddling Ghost” swirls elegantly throughout and “Snookered” flirts with prettiness—but what does it all amount to? Not too much, especially for a record that’s sixty-four-minutes long. “Been wrong so many times before, but never quite like this” he sings on “Snookered.” Hey, maybe after this show I’ll be singing the same thing, but I doubt it. On this tour, he strings along a live “ensemble,” so expect more showmanship. (Tom Lynch)
