''Bromst'' is the second

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by the American

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

musician

Dan Deacon Daniel Deacon (born August 28, 1981) is an American composer and electronic musician based in Baltimore, Maryland. Deacon is renowned for his live shows, where large-scale audience participation and interaction is often a major element of the pe ...

. It was released on March 24, 2009.

Background

According to Deacon: "''

Spiderman of the Rings ''Spiderman of the Rings'' is the first studio album by the American electronic musician Dan Deacon, released by Carpark Records Carpark Records is an independent record label based in Washington, D.C. History Carpark Records was establi ...

'' was very carefree and youthful – sort of partying for the sake of partying. This record is less about a party and more about a celebration." In an interview broadcast on NPR's ''

Talk of the Nation ''Talk of the Nation'' (''TOTN'') is an American talk radio program based in Washington D.C., produced by National Public Radio (NPR) that was broadcast nationally from 2 to 4 p.m. Eastern Time. It focused on current events and controversial issu ...

'' on April 22, 2009, Deacon stated that the word "Bromst" had no meaning other than being the title of the album. In an interview with ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...

'', Deacon discusses the composition and lyrical content of the album: "The music itself is very much about cycles, time, and what happens after life, becoming a ghost and stuff like that… The lyrical content is about the future. I think there is going to be a large paradigm shift in a few years, and it could either be to a new age of enlightenment and unity... or it could be a return to a dark age of kings and mass, open oppression followed by a die-off of human culture."

Recording process

While many of the sounds in ''Bromst'' are computer generated, much of it was recorded using live instruments. The album was produced by Chester Gwazda and tracked mainly in Baltimore and was mixed at SnowGhost Studio in

Whitefish, Montana Whitefish (Salish: epɫx̣ʷy̓u, "has whitefish") is a town in Flathead County, Montana, United States. According to the 2020 United States Census, there were 7,751 people in the town. History Long before the first Europeans came to Whitefish, ...

. For a few of the tracks on ''Bromst'', Deacon uses a

player piano A player piano (also known as a pianola) is a self-playing piano containing a pneumatic or electro-mechanical mechanism, that operates the piano action via programmed music recorded on perforated paper or metallic rolls, with more modern i ...

. The piano had to be re-wired so that each line was tracked individually, so the piano could keep up with what Deacon composed, which engineer Brett Allen claims to be impossibly fast to play on one piano.

Live

On December 11, 2008, Deacon performed many of the songs from ''Bromst'' with an ensemble of live performers at the Masonic Temple in Brooklyn, New York. The lineup of the ensemble was: Percussion: * Eric Beach (

So Percussion Sō Percussion is an American percussion quartet formed in 1999 and based in New York City. Composed of Josh Quillen, Adam Sliwinski, Jason Treuting, and Eric Cha-Beach, the group is well known for recording and touring internationally and for th ...

) * Denny Bowen (

Double Dagger A dagger, obelisk, or obelus is a typographical mark that usually indicates a footnote if an asterisk has already been used. The symbol is also used to indicate death (of people) or extinction (of species). It is one of the modern descendan ...

, Roomrunner, Smart Growth) * Jeremy Hyman (

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, Ultimate Reality) * Kevin O'Meara ( Videohippos, Ultimate Reality) * Rich O'Meara ( ko'mm) * Josh Quillen (

) * Adam Sliwinski (

) * Jason Treuting (

) * Max Eilbacher (Needle Gun, Teeth Mountain) Synthesizers, keyboards, and electronics: * Benny Boeldt (Adventure) * William Cashion (

Future Islands Future Islands is an American synth-pop band based in Baltimore, Maryland, comprising Gerrit Welmers (keyboards and programming), William Cashion (bass, acoustic and electric guitars), Samuel T. Herring (lyrics and vocals), and Michael Lowry (perc ...

) * Dan Deacon * Chester Gwazda ( Nuclear Power Pants) * Gerrit Welmers (

) Guitars: * Matt Papiach (

Ecstatic Sunshine Ecstasy () is a subjective experience of total involvement of the subject, with an object of their awareness. In classical Greek literature, it refers to removal of the mind or body "from its normal place of function." Total involvement with ...

White Williams White Williams is the music project of Cleveland, Ohio, Cleveland/New York (state), New York-based musician Joe Williams. He released one album and EP under this name before using the Motion Graphics moniker. In August 2016 the self-titled album ...

) * Ken Seeno (

) Deacon embarked on a North American tour in the spring of 2009 where he performed with a 14-piece band, similar to the one above.

Reception

Nitsuh Abebe of ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

'' praised the album, awarding it with Best New Music. Comparing the album to Deacon’s ''

'', Abebe writes of ''Bromst'': "The palette is richer, the samples smoother, the space larger, the programming slightly less buzzy."

Track listing

# "Build Voice" – 5:28 # "Red F" – 4:38 # "Paddling Ghost" – 4:05 # "Snookered" – 8:04 # "Of the Mountains" – 7:16 # "Surprise Stefani" – 7:46 # "Wet Wings" – 2:53 # "Woof Woof" – 4:44 # "Slow With Horns / Run for Your Life" – 6:35 # "Baltihorse" – 6:21 # "Get Older" – 6:30 # "Kalimidiba (iTunes Bonus Track) – 2:40

Personnel

* Dan Deacon – electronics, vocals, trombone, drums * Chester Gwazda – Keyboards * Kevin O'Meara –

Mallets A mallet is a tool used for imparting force on another object, often made of rubber or sometimes wood, that is smaller than a maul or beetle, and usually has a relatively large head. The term is descriptive of the overall size and proport ...

, Drums * Rich O'Meara – Mallets * Jeremy Hyman – Drums * Andy Abelow – Alto Saxophone * Connor Kizer – Trumpet * Matt Papiach – Guitar *

Jana Hunter Jana Hunter is an American songwriter and musician based in Baltimore. Early life Hunter was born in Texas. Recording and band membership Hunter was signed to Gnomonsong, a record label run by Devendra Banhart and Vetiver's Andy Cabic. ...

– Vocals on "Wet Wings"

References

{{Authority control 2009 albums Dan Deacon albums Carpark Records albums Noise pop albums Indietronica albums