Dan Deacon- Bromst (2009)

colorful-crayon music, dance till your feet fall off, one heck of a good time! These are all accurate descriptions of electronic musician, Dan Deacon's newest album. Most of the album was recorded live with a full sized ensemble, a delightfully new and kickin' contrast to Deacon's single handed power of effect pedals and wave function generators on past work. BROMST, as it's titled, is a step in the right maturing direction for Deacon. Since 2007's SPIDER MAN OF THE RINGS, Deacon has bee a busy bee both inside the studio and out. He states, "[Spiderman of the Rings] was very carefree and youthful -- sort of partying for the sake of partying. This record is less about a party and more about a celebration" on NPR's Talk of the Nation. Indeed, Bromst is one gargantuan and energetic celebration. So, turn on the beats and celebrate!

rating: 9

Track picks: "Ref F" "Wet Wings"

Getting a Little Freaky Down In P-Town

For all of you who don't know, Portland is fucking awesome. That said, there are a few things that need changing. For one, we have all of these people in our great city that need to be forced to do anything, and are reluctant to go check out a show or band unless there is some hype or they are in right now. Another is the complete and utter lack of constant dance parties. Being someone who loves to get down and dance the night away, this is a complete drag, yet there's a savior on the horizon. A little coalition know as PortlandPlayground (portlandplayground.blogspot.com) has high ambitions to fill that void. Headed by members of a little upstart group know as The White Sirens of Burr (myspace.com/whitesirensofburr) are hoping to collate a collaboration of Portland musicians, artists, writers and give them a space to present their work. As of right now they are small, consisting of five members, yet their ambitions are not reflective of their size. Armed with a set of concert speakers and a wish to dance the night away, this is a force not to be reckoned with. Their goal is to oppose the complacincy we have with our current scene and hope to provide an outlet for musicians to preform in front of audiences and to give people a steady set of dance parties and shows, did I mention these shows are set in warehouses/rented storage spaces/rented moving trucks/dorms/ and any other place that they can break into and plug in. So check out this blog (they even have a link to our own) and keep watching for more news on these up and coming Portlander's
[Nick Erickson]