America

Dan Deacon | Format: MP3 Music

Product Details

• Original Release Date: August 28, 2012
• Release Date: August 28, 2012
• Label: Domino Recording Co.
• Copyright: 2012 Domino Record Co
• Record Company Required Metadata: Music file metadata contains unique purchase identifier. Learn more.
• Total Length: 43:05
• Genres:
  • Alternative Rock
• ASIN: B008WTZ5QA
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #15,520 Paid in MP3 Albums (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Albums)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Sprawling and Terrific Concept Album August 28, 2012

By T. A. Daniel TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Audio CD

It's really hard to slap a label on Dan Deacon. There are times when he's lo-fi, but there are plenty of times when his productions are more slick and polished than any other contemporary artist. There are times when he's a populist party-rocker, but there are plenty of times when the audience takes a passenger seat to elaborate electronic compositions. Sometimes Deacon sounds like new school (like Gold Panda), and sometimes he sounds old school (like Bowie/Eno collaborations in Berlin). The duality of Dan Deacon has probably never been more exemplified than with his album AMERICA. The album is composed of two halves: the first half is mostly stand-alone jams, and the second half is essentially one long composition.

The first five tracks of AMERICA are largely standalone affairs. The second track, "True Thrush" is a party-rocking anthem that is rife with melody. "Prettyboy" begins as a more downtempo and ballad-like track, but it slowly morphs into a pulsing and beautiful swoon. "Crash Jam" is a propulsive track that feels ripe to explode at any moment, and like "Prettyboy," it effortlessly swings between speeds.

For me, each of these songs (except "Lots," perhaps) left me wanting more and more. I wanted each of these songs to be drawn out and expanded upon. Luckily, Deacon does just that with the second half of his AMERICA. The final four tracks are pieces of a longer composition. The four pieces ("Is A Monster," "The Great American Desert," "Rail," and "Manifest,") create one long, multitonal, dynamic, multistructural work. The ending of "Manifest," is triumphant and bold (if a bit sudden), and it provides an ending that begs listeners to begin the album all over again....

AMERICA (particularly its latter half) has all of the intricacies and nuance of classical music; this should come as no surprise, as Deacon is no stranger to the classical world. Deacon is currently doing something that no other artist is right now, and AMERICA is a breath of fresh air in the electronica genre. Anyone who enjoys Gold Panda, Baths or the most electronic sides of Animal Collective, Dan Deacon's latest is essential listening. Both beautiful and ugly, excessive and minimal, sprawling and cornered; this album is a great listen. Standout tracks to sample/download: "True Thrush," "Prettyboy," "USA II: The Great American Desert." It's rare to see an artist pushing himself creatively as much as Deacon is. Read more ›

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars El America de Dan Deacon October 9, 2012

By Nando

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

America is an album of simple beauty but also of complex ugliness. The sounds harmonise between haunting acoustics and noisy layers of synth. Words about sadness and happyness via an injection of frustration and proudness that actually make you feel the power of it's F/X. The music is just a celebraton of the North American culture and I can close my eyes put my earphones on play this album and trip across the states in 40 minutes. It's that cool.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Like two short albums...one of which works August 28, 2012

By D

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

Dan Deacon's great talent was on display all through his last album, Bromst. It mixed fun electronica with complex, intelligent musical composition, and much of it is spectacular. With America, those fine moments are harder to come by. Most of them are in its second half, which is much more cohesive and should have been expanded into a full album.

I half-jokingly think of Dan Deacon as the musical equivalent of Tim & Eric, and like those guys, he proves that there's a fine line between brilliant chaos and just flailing about. Sometimes the material is excellent, but sometimes it seems a bit lazy, like musical stream-of-consciousness instead of thoughtful composition. When America goes "concept album" in its second half, the sprawling, instrumental grandeur is quite lovely, and so is my favorite track, "Prettyboy". I wish he had made the whole album like this, instead of mixing it up with pop pieces like "True Thrush" and "Crash Jam". Maybe I have an unrealistic hope that he will be less "fun" and more serious artist, but I think this uneven album could have been amazing if he'd stuck to the more powerful instrumental sound of its best tracks.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Stimulating Thrill Ride September 24, 2012

By John W. Evans

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

I love stumbling onto an artist I haven't heard of before and absolutely falling in love with the music. This is my first listen to Dan Deacon, and I love this album; after hearing it, I am going to acquire his other recordings.

The music in "America" is full of deep percussion, loaded with reverb in places, full of brain ticklers and drenched in audio sunshine... and then in other places it is quieter and almost delicate. The vocals are often presented more as harmonic washes of sound, occasionally almost subliminal, and all the time contributing to a high atmosphere. This is heady stuff that bears repeated listening.

I am not sure I would go so far as to call Deacon's work a modern form of Art Rock, but it contains some of those creative elements. I hear echoes of Brian Eno at times in the vocals, arrangements and treatments. For this long-time fan of such music, Deacon's presentation in "America" can only be a good thing.

"America" is exultant, exuberant, joyful. It is thought-provoking, it is mentally stimulating, and you can dance to most of it. What could be better? Now on to "Bromst" and whatever else he has recorded.

Thanks Dan Deacon, for letting us inside your mind!