The Double Doghouse

for this weekly review, we’re taking a look at Dan Deacon’s Mystic Familiar. going in i thought this was gonna be completely fresh to me, but even after realizing otherwise this is still my first exposure to a full Deacon project.

alrighty Mystic Familiar kicks off with Become A Mountain, a spinning, spiralling, slowly building synth and keyboard track that has just an incredible swell to it. the vocals kind of just fade back in the mix in a really neat way, i like this a lot. Hypnagogic is a nice lil track. got some misty hillside vibes. neat. Sat By A Tree reminded me that i actually have heard this specific track before – a friend recommended me the music video and i remember really digging it. this track’s great – the layered choral vocals seem to weave between the percussion and the guitar and the synths to create this neat momentum. the Arp movement bisects the record, and its neat. Arp I: Wide Eyed has that long instrumental opening, and the driving percussion being the bridge into Arp II: Float Away is so cool. Float Away’s whole building layering is so fun, and it’s kinda funny that the track immediately after Wide Eyed begins its lyrics with “close your eyes”, haha. Arp III: Far From Shore has a much subtler approach to it, but man the drums on this track are incredible. Arp IV: Any Moment closes out the movement, and it’s nice enough. man those heavy strings that kick off Weeping Birch are so goddamn affective. and it develops in such a neat way. nice track. Fell Into the Ocean is absolutely the gem in the back half of the record – the chorus is so great with it’s call and response, and this track absolutely nails that swelling vibe the that the whole record has been playing with. when My Friend cuts out and goes to nearly completely acapella and slowly rebuilds the instrumentation around the various vocals, thats some good shit right there. Bumble Bee Crown King closes out the record, and does a lot over its 7 minute instrumental. don’t have a ton to say but its a fun 7 minutes.

faves – Become A Mountain, Sat By a Tree, Arp II: Float Away, Fell Into the Ocean
dislikes –

i really enjoyed this record. i had a hard time not losing myself in the looping synths and just enjoying the building energy, which i think is a pretty good mark to hit, haha. p good pacing, a good variety even within a fairly consistent sound, and some genuine bops in here. def gonna be coming back to this one soon.

Mystic Familiar – 7/10

the winner of this week’s suggestion pool is Type O Negative’s 1996 record, October Rust. i’ll be back next Friday, May 6th for a review, and in the meantime, let me know what album you’d like me to review! (i pool all suggestions in one place, and draw a person, then a pick from that person, so feel free to drop as many as you’d like! if you leave an email or username i’ll contact you when i’ve gotten through all your suggestions.)