Dan Deacon - Spiderman Of The Rings (Carpark Records, 2007)

George Clinton once said: "Free your mind... and your ass will follow." Wise words, indeed, but of what relevance are they to Dan Deacon and his strange, brilliant, ridiculous album, Spiderman Of The Rings? Firstly, George Clinton is a weird guy - he'd have to be to write the sort of music he has with Parliament and Funkadelic - and, from what I've seen, Dan Deacon seems like a pretty weird guy, and I mean that in the best way possible. I remember a time when I wanted nothing but to be considered weird. I wanted to wear it as a badge of honor. However, I think I've always been too normal to be weird in any cool way.
Sometimes I use music to quiet the voices in my head. The voices in my head are friendly for the most part, however, at times, when everyone is trying to speak at once, it can be difficult to make any sense of anything. So, I'll put something in the stereo, we all turn our attention to the music, and life comes back into focus.
You should have seen it the first time I put Dan Deacon in the stereo. As a crazed Woody Woodpecker spilled from the speakers, and a slow building electronic pulse took hold, none of us knew quite what to expect. Sounds, sounds, everywhere! Just when it looked like the whole thing might be about to devolve into a horrible train wreck, it came to a sudden stop. Only to immediately jump into the spazz-eletro-rave-up that is The Crystal Cat (check out the video). All of a sudden, my mind was free... and my ass was following. This is the music to which the voices in my head dance. Well, sometimes they dance, sometimes they laugh; it is a 50/50 split that I imagine anyone who calls their album Spiderman Of The Rings, would be happy to elicit.
Don't be fooled, Dan Deacon may be a mad-genius, however, his music is not for everyone. In fact, I have had those near and dear to me politely ask me to turn him off, as they are unable to hear anything but shrill, piercing, electronic vibrations. Joy.

Check Out: www.myspace.com/dandeacon

Sounds Like: A crazy, good time, electro-spazz

On Tour: Dan Deacon is touring Europe in December 2007; he'll be in the U.S. in January (see you at the LA show) 2008; and Australia in February 2008.

Okkervil River - Golden Opportunities Mixtape (2007)

Regular readers will be more than familiar with the high esteem in which I hold Okkervil River. Following the release of their excellent 2007 album, The Stage Names, which has been making its way on to many "Best Of 2007" lists, the band have released the Golden Opportunities Mixtape as a free download from their website: www.okkervilriver.com.
The Golden Opportunities Mixtape is a collection of nine songs that the band recorded, mostly on the road, over the course of a couple of years. Eight of the songs see Okkervil River covering artists as diverse as Randy Newman, John Cale, Joni Mitchell, and Serge Gainsbourg. The one original Okkervil River track is a fantastic live recording of Listening To Ottis Redding At Home During Christmas, which originally appeared on the band's debut full-length album Don't Fall In Love With Everyone You See.

Check Out: www.okkervilriver.com