Dan Deacon Bromst
Named for the rolling percussive sounds present throughout the record, Bromst is Dan Deacon’s ambitious […]
Named for the rolling percussive sounds present throughout the record, Bromst is Dan Deacon’s ambitious follow-up to his 2007 spaz-party breakout Spiderman of the Rings. Determined to part from the “wacky” tag that has doggedly followed him since, Deacon employs a widened instrumental palette and mature sonic arrangements that build upon drone-y passages and Steve Reich-esque ambient textures. That works on grand, slow-building pieces like opener “Build Voice,” but too often Bromst feels stuck between this new approach and the caffeinated outbursts of Deacon’s prior work, making the record feel disjointed. Ultimately, Bromst isn’t a complete about-face or Deacon’s Kid A moment; instead it reveals an artist in transition, admirably trying on new ideas to mixed results.