The animated image that plays behind Dan Deacon’s new song “Lots” is of a flag rippling in the wind, set against a summery blue sky. What’s on the flag is hard to make out, but it appears to be a landscape of sorts — purple mountains majesty, amber waves of grain, maybe? As the first song from the Baltimore mad scientist’s just announced Domino Records debut America, which arrives on August 28, “Lots” captures a similarly cryptic spirit of celebration.
On excellent previous albums Spiderman of the Rings and Bromst, Deacon has skillfully combined weirdo electro-punk spazz with highbrow modern-classical minimalism. The distance between Wham City and Carnegie Hall becomes more blurred than ever on “Lots,” which combines screeching distortion and krautrock pummel with pointillist backing vocals. Good luck deciphering the lyrics, but a press release cites both Cormac McCarthy’s The Road and “current movements that aim to change a broken system.” And you can pogo to it.
There’s a shouty Midwestern DIY band called Little Ruckus that we’ve privately described as “Dan Deacon meets Titus Andronicus.” Classical chops notwithstanding, the mix of raw-throated political calls to arms and hypnotically rinky-dink electronics on “Lots” suggests Deacon might’ve already gotten there himself. Rally around the flag:
America track list:
- “Guilford Avenue Bridge”
- “True Thrush”
- “Lots”
- “Prettyboy”
- “Crash Jam”
- “USA I: Is a Monster”
- “USA II: The Great American Desert”
- “USA III: Rail”
- “USA IV: Manifest”
Dan Deacon tour dates:
July 7 – Des Moines, IA @ 80/35 Festival
July 12 – New York, NY @ Pier 84
July 14 – Cincinatti, OH @ Bunbury Music Festival
July 21 – Antigonish, NS @ Evolve Festival
September 1 – Chicago, IL @ North Coast Music Festival
September 7 – Raleigh, NC @ Hopscotch Music Festival
September 19 – Prague, CZ @ Meet Factory
September 20 – Berlin, DE @ Festsall Kreuzberg
September 21 – Hamburg, DE @ Reepers
September 22 – Eindehoven, NL @ Area 51
September 23 – Amsterdam, NL @ Bitterzoet
September 24 – Brussels, BE @ Botanique
September 25 – Paris, FR @ Le Trebando
September 26 – London, UK @ Scala
September 28 – Manchester, UK @ Islington Mill
September 29 – Brighton, UK @ The Haunt
