AC Newman - The Slow Wonder

AC Newman - The Slow Wonder
Matador Records (2004)

Being a longtime fan of the New Pornographers I've inevitably been drawn to the band's members' solo work. With the inevitable purchase of ginger frontman AC Newman's new solo album Get Guilty, I've decided to take a look back at his previous release, The Slow Wonder.

This is an unashamed pop album, for the most part. Catchy hooks and memorable melodies make this a must-have for anyone that enjoyed any of the first three New Pornographers albums. Newman's sense of timing is impeccable here, with only a few missteps to cloud the overall product.

The album opens with "Miracle Drug", a bouncy ode to a rejected author... I think. The off-kilter lyrics combined with the undeniably catchy beat make this a short and enjoyable listen, though possibly not the best opener for the album.

Next up is "Drink To Me Babe Then". This slows things down, but definitely shows an extension of his work with his main band despite their hyperactive presence. The whistling bridge interspersed with wa-wa guitar is something one will try for days to get out of his or her head. The track continues the rhythmic lyrical style with off-the-beat lyric lines and building repetition.

"On The Table" is fairly successful, though it tries to capture the hyper style of his main body of work. Aside from the repetition of the title, which is rather annoying, this is another poppy track.

Two of the best tracks follow this, "Most of Us Prizefighters" and "The Battle for Straight Time". Despite differing in tempo, both are forward-driving tracks with larger-than-life hooks, and are very difficult to not at least nod along to, since as everyone knows, indie fans aren't allowed to dance. Note, my tongue was firmly in my cheek for that previous statement.

"Secretarial" is an excessively repetitive filler track that is only saved by a catchy synth line, and then just barely.

"Come Crash" brings the tempo down as a mostly piano-based ballad with the wide-eyed teenager inside weeping over the line "Christine, come crash on my floor." This is the first track of the album that features the trumpet, but not the last, and it improves each song it's on. It serves as background here except for a brief solo, but comes into the forefront in "The Cloud Prayer", an acoustic track with heavy percussion hits. The trumpet blows into a full legato solo for the entire second half of the song, and it. is. *awesome*.

The intervening song between those two, "Better Than Most" is a song that nearly begs to be skipped, despite interesting rhythmic and melodic devices. It just doesn't work. Sorry AC.

"The Town Halo" opens with a cello bass line that wouldn't work well anywhere else, but this song makes it work, along with pounding western saloon piano and a background chorus. The song is just fun, and it's hard not to like.

The album closes with "35 in the Shade" which is obviously Celsius rather than Fahrenheit, or the song wouldn't make a damn bit of sense. It's okay though, he's Canadian. A driving tom beat and jangly piano introduce this closer, which is another bouncy almost 60's-like song, and while not one of the best songs on the album, still a strong entry.

Overall, the album is excellent with only a single big misstep to be found. Granted, I'm predisposed to like the album as a fan of Newman's other work, but even without that background, this stands on its own as a solid - albeit short - pop album.

**** (out of 5)

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Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
Sub Pop Records (2008)

I picked up the Fleet Foxes self-titled album on a whim, having heard almost nothing but good things about it. I know, I know, I'm late to the party, this was big last year. Oh well. I don't know what I can say about this album that hasn't already been said. Oh, wait, I know. It's pretty decent. That's right. I said it.

"Pretty decent."

"But Dai," you ask, "aren't you supposed to fall down at the feet of whoever the most recent indie darling is?"

Not this time, bud. I like the album, I really do, but it's not perfect. This is an album that, when viewed in geographic terms, has islands of perfection surrounded by a sea of meh. It is, in fact, half of a great album. By cutting out the crap, this would have been the greatest EP to ever grace the Earth. The first four tracks are a great example. "Sun It Rises" is a wonderful example of how to open an album. The a capella opening ("Red Squirrel") leading into the waltz-like opening strains of the song proper tell you exactly what you're going to get on this album: great harmony, acoustic folksy instrumentation, and well done arrangements.

"White Winter Hymnal" reinforces this to no small degree, with an evocative lyric made stronger by repetition. The band claims there is no meaning to the lyrics, but it's hard not to find some meaning in the words "[a]nd Michael you would fall / and turn the white snow red as strawberries in the summertime."

"Ragged Wood" is great, as is "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song"; one man, one guitar, and a bit of a break from the dense folky harmony on the rest of the disc. It's very melancholy, and honestly quite beautiful.

Unfortunately, that's where things get a little bit bumpy. "Quiet Houses" is possibly the most annoying song I've heard all year (last year too). I think there are only nine, maybe twelve words in the ENTIRE SONG. And they're drilled over and over into your head until you can't make any sense of it.

The band makes a comeback with "He Doesn't Know Why", which is either my favourite or second favourite song on the disc, depending on how I feel. The rising and falling lyrics combined with the slightly building instrumental backing makes this a keeper. The bridge shows helplessness and leads back into the choral "ah-ah" section to close.

The rest of the album is a bit of a downer, with quasi-instrumental "Heard Them Stirring" and snoozefest "Meadowlarks" surrounding the last real gem of the album, "Your Protector." With its rolling beat and oscillating lyrical line during the chorus, this is the closest this album ever gets to danceable, but that's okay, that's not what they're trying to do. I hope.

"Blue Ridge Mountains" and "Oliver James" are both respectable, though the latter might be a better fit for a B-sides compilation in a decade or so as an example of how far they've come.

All in all, a pretty decent album, or an excellent EP. The fact that the best songs save two were front-loaded tells me that they maybe didn't try hard enough on the rest of the album. Still, this is definitely a band to watch, and despite being from the Pacific Northwest, they have the humility of a small-town band from somewhere in Appalachia.

***1/2 (out of 5)

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Hi there!

Greetings to everyone from Club-Ubuntu and beyond! My name's Daisuke Ido and I'm here to review nearly any album I stumble across, good or bad. I try to be as objective as possible, but I do have a soft spot in my heart for mellower music, so be warned. There's a comment link at the end of every review, so if I piss you off by slagging your favourite album or band, feel free to let me know. I probably won't actually care, but you'll feel better and feel like your voice was heard and might actually matter. I'm going to try to do this thing weekly, though I may be a day or two late here and there thanks to University classes. Thanks for reading, and enjoy (or don't)!

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