Bromst

Dan Deacon’s live shows are sweat-flecked, beer-soaked group-hugs for artsy clubbers – but when he’s not whipping his shirt off in public and inviting you to partake of his dude-of-the-people meltdowns, is the Baltimore chubbster still worth your love? On Bromst the argument flows both ways. An alumnus of Maryland’s art-freak community, Deacon clearly takes his craft seriously: ‘Of The Mountains’ mind-melds orchestral indie influences with minimalist swells, testifying to Deacon’s oft-proclaimed indebtedness to avant-garde composers such as Steve Reich. But to swallow the notion that this tubby thirtysomething is also a serious composer you’ll have to get past his penchant for tinny beats and shrieking chipmunk vocals – affectations that, on album centre-pieces ‘Snookered’ and ‘Wet Wings’, irritate as much as they uplift. If the thought of Philip Glass grooving with the Banana Splits warms your heart, by all means, knock yourself out. Otherwise, approach with caution.

Key Track: ‘Snookered’