You would be smiling to if you played some great tunes.
Slow Club is back in New York and better than ever. Rebecca and Charles are the two friends you wish you had in your circle. They come to your party and the room lights up. Or, if you go to a lame party, you ask everyone, "You know what this party needs? Rebecca and Charles. Am I right?"
This is my forth time around with these two lovelies, earning them a coveted spot in my Hall of Fame -- a plaque will be delivered. From their humble begins to now, their growth as a band has been impressive. Last night show was the best performance that I've seen from them. That's mainly due to the new album, Paradise.
Now, I'm a beholden to their early work. There is a permanent place in my music snobbery psyche for tunes like "Me and You," "Giving Up On Love", "When I Go" and "Apples and Pairs". These song were memorable in 2008 and 2009 as demos, singles and tracks off their debut, Yeah So, and they will be for years to come. Then Paradise came along last year, and it's like seeing a younger cousin after two years and they grew up so quickly that you almost don't recognize them.
It's not to say that the new material is a complete 180, it's just better, stronger and more mature songs. They haven't completely abandoned the simple boy-girl dities on acoustic guitars vibe. They kicked their set off last night with a stripped down take on their Sheffield hometown heroes Pulp's "Disco 2000". When they crankup the nobs up, it feels like they are empowered. As with the set list for the night, they stuck to all new material, and only diving into the past for the encore. You can tell Rebecca was jazzed by the new album, because she was getting funky like I've seen her before when they ended with Two Cousins. "Beginners" is another shinning track that his this massive drum beat. It's a song they couldn't have recorded early on. Now that they have some experience, they can take their talents to new, unexpected heights.
When you boil it down, it's easy to love Slow Club. I don't know Charles and Rebecca personally, but they seem like genuine, decent people. Thus, their music is a reflection of their personality.
Good marks for local band Air Waves, who are not to be confused with Sun Airways from Philly. Air Waves have been tagging along on the Slow Club tour. They've got an easy, stripped down, but peppy indie sound reminiscent of early 90s guitar-based alternative rock. All I can ask of an opening act is that they don't bore me or piss me off, and luckily, they did neither.
happened to see them in Montreal this past weekend and love them both. Small venue, great acoustics and sound, charming by all means. I dare say both Air Waves and Slow Club were equally lovely and surprisingly brilliant.
Definitely a must go if they stop in your town, and definitely a must watch in the future!
thanx guys
Posted by: gelu | February 23, 2012 at 01:37 PM