The Slow Wonder

New Pornographers frontman A.C. Newman goes solo for this instant classic of slightly retro rock-pop. Clocking in at a little more than 30 minutes, 2004's THE SLOW WONDER is a gem--a rocking, orchestrated album that recalls the best tunes on the airwaves in the 1970s. A close inspection of lyrics reveals the sad underside to that era's optimism, however, with tales of failed novelists, bruised ideals, and bored romantics.
Highlights--in a record full of highlights--include the strings and female harmonies of "The Town Halo", the dueling whistle chorus and compressed guitar on "Drink to Me,Babe, Then", the piano arpeggios and thunderous drums on "35 in the Shade", and the bursts of brass on "The Cloud Prayer". Through it all, Newman's pleasing vocal timbre makes himsound like his own one-man Beach Boys. Fans of Pornographers standouts like "From Blown Speakers" will eat this up, as this whole album retains that tune's evocation of the thrilling ache of half-remembered adolescent longing. It's all ceaselessly listenable--sunny and dark, hungry and satisfying in equal measure.