Being an artist in Baltimore must be tough these days. The unadulterated success enjoyed by 'The Wire' has meant that the media spotlight now shines on a hitherto unknown corner of the US. Baltimore is perceived by some as the 'new' New York and as such any cultural output is now prone to critical scrutiny. Step forward Dan Deacon, who fearlessly dives head-first into the dangerous waters of the ‘difficult second album’ and emerges with his head held high.
Just like his counterparts at the HBO smash hit, Deacon is acutely aware that individuality is a more admirable creative path to take than that of simply following the crowd. He first came to my attention after Huntleys and Palmers rinsed the much-lauded ‘Wham City’ and although I didn’t love that track, I knew that this guy was onto something. With his latest offering ‘Bromst’, Deacon avoids the pitfalls of many other musical residents of his city by shunning the dross, monotonous sounds of the Bmore genre and opting for inventive, fresh and avant-garde sounds that at times make the listener feel that he has mistakenly boarded a malfunctioning waltzer (minus the vomit of course).
The prevailing sentiment to be taken away from this album is that you are listening to someone with an abundance of creativity and talent, who may be but a few short steps from reaching genius territory. ‘The Wire’ may be gone for good but rest assured – plenty of magic will still appear from way down in the hole.
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