The Thousands

So far as children and Dan Deacon are concerned, music exists primarily to be enjoyed, and enjoyment is directly proportional to a listener’s involvement. Whereas most major indie acts attempt ‘connection’ via excessive personal detailing and a general non-listening attitude, this Baltimore party-in-a-man does it the old-fashioned way – less talk, more action – with unflinching concentration on arresting, fun sounds and a now-famous participatory, hipster-destroying live show. Wherever the gig, Deacon sets up in the middle of the audience, exhorting manic dancing around him like a milk-fed Lux Interior or Melbourne’s beloved Talkshow Boy.

Spiderman of the Rings combines the mass-consciousness sounds of childhood – cartoons, video games, electronic home instruments, hyperactivity – with the serious fun-pop of B-52s and pared-down, DIY experimentalism of homemade punk. Songs ‘Crystal Cat’ and ‘Snake Mistakes’ are packed with speeding keyboard arpeggios, non-stop drum machine, squiggly oscillators and ridiculous, effects-twisted vocals, while instrumentals ‘Big Milk’, ‘Pink Batman’ and ‘Jimmy Roche’ are Ambient dream-popped through a grinder. It’s a giddy, absurd atmosphere, catchy to the point of fitting and rainbow laced with amphetamine.