ALBUM OF THE WEEK
A.C. NEWMAN- The Slow Wonder
(Matador)
Just when we thought the New Pornographers were calming down, out comes a solo album from their leader, aka Carl Newman. Of course, if this were the sixties, a record like this would be comparable to the mod-roxy of The Association, but given we seem to be amid a retro revival, The Slow Wonder bakes 34 minutes of infectious psych-pop in tradition of The Kinks with the wall-to-wall sound of the eighties. Wild child of many songwriting accolades, Newman's voice is distorted in fuzz harmonies, reminiscent to the style of the Pornographers, with a combination of Donovan's mystique or if The Nazz had something to do with the Magical Mystery Tour sessions. "Miracle Drug" and "The Town Halo" are the garage anthems Newman danced out of the womb to wail, and it's doubtful he's ready to turn down the volume any time soon. (B)
P.S. Not everything's got to be popular. Send me your own album and I'll give it a listen. And perhaps for a week (or two, and maybe three) you'll find it here...
copyright 2004 Carson Arnold