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Very bohemian and raw, The Slow Break creates an original
laconic record that mixes folk poetic with garage ambiance that works
on so many different levels. I hear so many influences that you wouldn't
dream of putting together, like John Cougar Mellencamp and
Sonic Youth. But ultimately, these mixtures help elevate the
album to nothing short of amazing. Really, to fully appreciate this
record you would have to analyze each track for its individual style
and content to see how wide a spectrum they traverse. This three-piece
really bring a lot to the table as they all pull double duty playing
additional keyboards, sax and percussion, and with having alternating
lead male and female vocals each track maintains a powerful identity
so that no two sound the same. "Sunburn" beautifully captures
melodic rambling like Modest Mouse, while "Salenum"
alternates between exquisite non-linearity similar to Morphine
and The Pixies.
The production, while lacking in the traditional sense of elevating
the band, succeeds in heightening the low-fi atmosphere. It is this
"unclean" effect that gives you a true grit appeal to the
music, carrying you further than simple song craft into an actual
feel or vibe. Not much attention is paid to focusing on individual
parts, it almost seems like each instrument was recorded at one level
across the whole album. Despite this, though, it is a credit to the
band and the material that it doesn't seem to matter, and that the
songs all retain their uniqueness.
As good as this record is, I worry about its mass appeal. It is an
album that you either simply get or don't get. I fear a lot of the
mainstream would pass over this as inaccessible - yet they would be
missing a true masterpiece. Well that's their loss.
-bishop
Track listing:
1) Thanks, Jasmine
2) Interstate Woman
3) Cowboy Crucifixion
4) Sunburn
5) Salenum
6) The Mistaken Identity Of Man
7) It'll Be Allright
8) Sleepyhead
9) Kick Down The Door
10) Fortunes Of Few
11) Sky Is Falling
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