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The Slow Show / White Water

Gerne: Indie Rock
Land: USA
Jaar: 2015
Audio codec: MP3
Type rip: tracks
Audio bitrate: 128 (vbr)
Duur: 45:23

Tracklist:
01. Dresden (5:04)
02. Long Way Home (3:50)
03. Bloodline (5:09)
04. Testing (3:53)
05. Brother (4:02)
06. Bad Day (3:37)
07. Augustine (3:15)
08. Paint You Like A Rose (3:30)
09. Flowers To Burn (3:58)
10. Lucky You, Lucky Me (4:13)
11. God Only Knows (4:16)

8.5/10

Some bands never seem to ‘fit’ their names. Like the SPICE GIRLS were never that‘spicy’ and I’ve never seen GUNS ‘N’ ROSES with any guns or roses. Manchesterband, THE SLOW SHOW are very aptly named. Creating slow and powerful Americanamusic really creating a show in their debut album White Water. THE SLOW SHOWencapsulate and celebrate their namesake. The Manchester trio act as an oxymoronof their home city, upholding their fame as a great music city but settingthemselves apart from their Manchester brothers. A very un-Manchester,Manchester band that are largely successful around Europe, especially in bigcities such as Zurich and Dresden but are yet to fuel this success in theirhomeland. White Water will definitely change that.Each track tells a different story through the gentle yet powerful music theycreate. White Water acts an encyclopedia of different genres ranging from,Americana, folk to classical and even church choirs.  The newcomers incorporateall these different genres to create a catalogue of hits that shall be the soundof 2015. The newcomers juxtapose brass sounds with choral vocals and describethemselves as having a ‘distinctly Northern’ sound. In the first track entitledDresden, one of the cities THE SLOW SHOW found themselves ‘unveiling all’ in,these choral vocals are paired gravelly vocals. It materialises a church-likeimage in the listener’s imagination. The track creates an atmosphere of biblicalproportions, pun intended. It makes the listener feel the way the artist feels.This is a valuable and powerful weapon an artist can have and the innovativeband   use it throughout the record. Dresden combines many sound textures frombrass to string paired with vocals from lead vocalist, Robert Goodwin. Startingthe track with a monologue, Goodwin sounds vaguely Mancunian yet with a deeposcillation separating himself from typical Manchester vocalists. Repeating‘This is a breakdown’ throughout Dresden, Goodwin juxtaposes this mantra withsteady, strong vocals.The tracks that follow further the vocalist talents in an emotive style,sometimes depressing and sometimes uplifting, the vocals lay between THENATIONAL and LOU REED. THE SLOW SHOW, however, do not mimic existing artists,their sound is unique with familiar tone. Long Way Home the second track onWhite Water, pastiches Reed. The track relies heavily on the vocals backedslightly by minimal piano melody.A personal favourite track is Bloodline, differing from the other tracks as itbegins with an upbeat guitar and melts into a brass band section. Bloodlinerepeats ‘This is the last time I call’ and nestled at the beginning of thealbum, this feels like a heartbroken empty threat. Wonderfully poetic and deeplyemotive, Bloodline showcases the relatively new band’s talents as musicians andartists. And yes, these are just the three first songs on the album. The qualitycontinues. Each track, to me, is a highlight. The piano-driven epicness of thebittersweet Brother, the string-drunken Bad Day that sees Goodwin sounding likean old bar singer who’s about to drown his sorrows in another glass of Whiskey.It’s a voice that crawls beneath the listener’s skin. Even in a more upliftingpiece like Flowers To Burn. From start to finish – the Mancunians materialisetheir own story and create an anthology of tales on White Water. It’s impressivefirst statement from a band that has just started to reveal themselves to theworld. This show will go on… slowly but not less entertaining.