Review (mini): Dan Deacon - Spiderman of the Rings

I really like strange and weird music, and this album does not disappoint. Let me just start by saying that Spiderman of the Rings is not for everybody. Its weird, it is creepy in spots, and many times I found myself scratching my head and even laughing. It is definitely odd, but also a bold album and one I very much enjoyed. Now like I said, it is not for everybody but if you want to challenge yourself to listen to some music that you have never heard before then check it out.

Right from the start with “Woody Woodpecker” you know this album is going to be different and I almost turned it off after the first thirty seconds, but then the constant woody laugh meshed with the techno beats sank in and hooked me. The highlight is definitely “Wham City”. I absolutely love this song. This song would be a great place to start if you are at all interested in this album.

One thing I really like about this album is how in each song there is a sound, voice or looped track that defines it and brings it to life. Like every movie has characters, each one of these “sounds” becomes a character to connect with and travel through each song with. Obviously in “Woody Woodpecker” it is Woody himself and in “The Crystal Cat” it is a sound that I can only imagine is a robot cat. “Wham City” features a chorus of singers that sound as if they are singing from the city streets, and in “Snake Mistakes”, I don’t even know what it is going on but it’s good.

Another song I really enjoyed and is very relaxing is “Pink Batman”. Sounding like it came out of the 8 bit Nintendo era; it brings back some great memories of being a kid playing video games (listen with headphones for further enjoyment).

Spiderman of the Rings is very solid album, and one that really surprised me with how well it was mixed, produced and gels together as a cohesive record. Like with any album of this genre, there is so much going on at once that I have not absorbed it all, but with each listen it gets better and better.

8.9/10