Slow Wonder, by A.C. Newman

I don't know why I always get caught up on the names of bands. I hated the name "The New Pornographers," of which A.C. Newman was the leader. I just never got the point of why they would want to have porn in their name. Now that Newman has gone solo, at least I don't have to be ashamed to have his name on my ipod. I kind of wish he would have picked a name and been a band instead of a solo artist, but I will just be satisfied not to have pornography in his name.

I was a bit surprised by how much "Slow Wonder" sounded like a New Pornographers album. With Newman sounding so much like The New Pornographers, it kind of destroyed my perception that the group's unique sound was a byproduct of the eclectic and eccentric artists all coming together for this side project. Not that it is necessarily a bad thing, but this album shows how much of a hand A.C. Newman had in The New Pornographers sound.

My complaints and praise of this album are the same as they are for The New Pornographers' albums. I love the inventive arrangements, and high power melodies. The song's are catchy and interesting without following any formula for traditional pop songs. Newman's voice has a tendency to be a little too glaring, which starts to annoy me after I have been listening to it for a while. Many of the tracks use the same (disonant?) harmonies as The New Pornographers. On the positive however, Newman has some slower numbers where his voice is more gentle, and I prefer it that way. The New Pornographers maintained such a high energy, that the change of pace is appreciated. Overall, I thought the arrangements here were better than The New Pornographers, with the horns and strings on a couple of the tracks being highlights of the album. Overall, this is a good album, and deserves repeated listening.

I know what you mean about being ashamed of band names you like. Morphine never raises too many eyebrows. But when people see I have TWO albumns of ASS PONYS they always have to say something. I say "Come on, its good rock." And they say "umm...sure...whatever....." as if I had just turned gay.