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Downbeat and dreamy, Slow Reverse deliver melancholic synth-pop
created with lo-fi analogue electronics, nimble fluttering drum
patterns and punctuated with semi-whispered, celestial vocals. If
you like the warm, sunshine pop of Saint Etienne or minimalistic
slow-fi melodies of Stereolab, then Slow Reverse could be a band
worth your while checking out.
I discovered this album on my recent travels among the cluttered
racks of 'DJ Siam', a cramped but rather cool record store tucked
away in the sweaty paragons of downtown Bangkok. What immediately
draws one's attention in these consumer-convenient days of
intangible file sharing is the lavish packaging of this album - a
hard-bound book of beautiful illustrations, furnished with a
wrap-around poster folded to form an outer dust jacket. Personally,
I've never seen anything quite like it.
But, as the old saying goes, we should be cautious to judge a book
merely by it's cover. As any discerning record collector will know,
many delightfully packaged albums can turn out to be disappointment
once the wrapping is off. Furthermore, today's lucrative market for
classic album 'reissues' has seen expanded packaging and sub-prime
bonus-track 'filler' employed as a tiresome trick by big record
companies to lure middle-aged completists into re-buying something
they've already bought. But, to see young bands inventively turning
their music into collectable artefacts without the aid of major
label subsidy is an encouraging and growing statement in the fight
against illegal file sharing. Reassuringly, Slow Reverse's
eponymously titled album lives up to it's curious promise. This
eleven track platter is just as quirky in sound as it is in
presentation.
I'm a little uncertain about the general availability of this album
closer to home, but with online ordering out-performing retail
distribution these days, getting a copy posted to these shores
shouldn't be too much of a problem.
All in all, Slow Reverse present the perfect background music for a
quiet mood - these heavenly, ethereal songs deliver a tranquil
prescription for the early-morning come-down from the night before,
marrying the hypnotic film-noir backdrop of Air or Brian Eno with
the calculated 'pop' structures of The Flaming Lips or the mellower
moments of Bristol's legendary Sarah Records roster. Perhaps I won't
be needing those aspirins for a while!
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