REVIEW: Adventure - Lesser Known

Adventure - Lesser Known
MMM1/2

Adventure, the electronic project of Baltimore and Wham City resident Benny Boeldt, owes a lot to the electronica that was birthed in the ‘80s. Lesser Known, his second full-length, ditches the 8-bit, electronic frame of Adventure’s self-titled debut in favor of pop hooks and more dynamic, profound – not to mention dance floor-ready – electropop songs.

And while Boeldt has added vibrancy and pop accessibility to his electronic compositions, there’s an unshakable impression that these songs could be suitable soundtrack material for utopian – and in some cases dystopian – science fiction films. Whether he’s repeatedly singing – as if it were a mantra to carry his soul over troubled times – “And this feels like heaven” (“Feels Like Heaven”) or looping a sample of a stern, cold voice directing us to “Relax the mind” (“Relax the Mind”), there is a sense of disillusionment that lies beneath the layers of synthesizer, as if Boeldt is taking a walk along the line that separates fiction from reality. The pairing of “Relax the Mind” into “Another World” calls to mind the yearning for a blissful, emotionally honest existent like that of Robert Duvall’s character in THX 1138.

LISTEN: Music from In Every Room!

No one's trying to say that the Baltimore music scene trumps Brooklyn (indeed, the hippest borough is practically unrivaled in its indie output). However, there's so much happening here, and Charm City lays claim to some unrivaled musical/visual acts, not limited to Dan Deacon, Beach House, Spank Rock and Animal Collective.

And their influence is prevalent in different neighborhoods all over the city. The young and promising trio In Every Room (who are MICA based, that's Maryland Institute College of Art for all those unfamiliar) have clearly borrowed a lot from Wham City and Animal Collective, but they've done a good job at remaining true to their own sound while drawing heavily on these influences.

When it comes to AC in particular, I've got to give it up to In Every Room. They have something that the ever-popular and mysterious Collective do not: a great female voice in Amy Reid. First listens to "EMM E GEE" and "Celebration" will probably make you think about Feels, but give them some more time and there's a certain innocence to IER that some indie acts are lacking.

Inside of drum and synth loops and ever-present reverb, this innocence takes precedence, giving both "Celebration" and "EMM E GEE" a more unique and fun flavor than the at-times weighty and lengthy tracks from Animal Collective. There is an air of exploration in this music which offers a lot of promise. In Every Room is a trio ready to explore themselves, and I honestly can't wait to hear where they take their sound.

MP3: In Every Room - "EMM E GEE"
MP3: In Every Room - "Celebration"

In Every Room are poised to release a new EP through Friends Records in August, and if you're in the area, the trio will hit the stage at Wham City's Artscape mimicry "Whartscape" on July 22.  

Giving Respect Where it's Due

Dan Deacon has come a long long way.

People definitely still live and perform in the Copy Cat, and while there have been Deacon sitings in and around Wham City performances, those of you waiting in line for him to start picking up regular gigs at Floristree (hopefully there aren't many of you) can probably find a better hobby.

Since the release of Spiderman of the Rings, Dan Deacon and that Green Skull of his have tornado-ed around the country, touring at first with Gregg Gillis and Girl talk and then headlining his own shows for nearly the past two years. It was on the road that Deacon really snowballed into something bigger than anyone ever expected. It was his approach to a show: playing on the floor, making it a necessity that everyone in attendence was having a good time and dancing, playing through sickness night after night, always bringing his energy....who could resist such a dance party? It happened in basements, it happened in dirty little venues in Baltimore and Brooklyn.

Now, with the release of Bromst to critical acclaim, its happening in some of the country's most recognized and legendary venues. Case and point, Washington D.C.'s 930 club. NPR was there to drop this crazy time-lapse video on you. The guy who writes the blog post for NPR was probably slobbering all over his keyboard when he wrote it, but I'd like to take a few words to voice some criticms.

First of all, and Dan, I know you're out there and this is no shot to you, we should all think about what has changed in his touring syle and what made him. Deacon has to play on stage now, the venues are too big and he might even be made to do so. I'd call that a negative. Also, Bromst, while compositionally beautiful, lacks that homeade quality that drew so many indie-underworld-scraping music/art/hipster freaks to Spiderman. He's got a 15-piece band, and that's cool, but to me, the Crystal Cat just isn't the same that way.

Again, this is not to discredit what seems like a much-needed and natural progression for Deacon with all this fame being thrown out at him. I would just be the lone critic here voicing a little apprehension as Deacon embraces his degree in musical composition by taking on a band which will make the creation of his ideas a bit more human and subject to mistakes. I'm not usually one to advocate for the computer, but in this case, it was working for me.