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Slow Six, "Private Times in Public Places"
Habit of Creation
An orchestral band with an interesting twist, Slow Six have compiledthis debut album from tracks they've recorded over the last four years,though none of it sounds in the least dated. The twist is the use of anactive computer that takes in the sounds the members make andinterprets them into what it will, used mainly in a live setting butput to slight use on these recordings, as well. Though they work withother artists when they perform as sort of a rule, there is no missingcomponent when listening to these songs, as they're certainly dynamicenough to hold attention. Sometimes they take a while to warm up, or toget to that next shift, but there's never a moment of absolutestaggering boredom that attacked me. What also struck me is the care inthe packaging, like it was an art project all its own, as the coverphoto has so much meaning, like the Empire State Building is a greatunknown forbidden to those who live behind the fence. The liner notesare actually a photograph of the walls in their rehearsal space, whereguitarist Peter Cressy actually wrote the words on the wall in a veryelegant style. It's a small gesture, but it shows the commitment andcare of these artists to and for their work. The songs number three,with the shortest clocking it at almost nineteen minutes, and theyrepresent a full range of emotions as well as variations in what theband is capable of. Each has its own breath and life, and moves with aspirit that feels like a wise and aged soul. To break these massivepassages down to "the violin sounds great" is almost an insult to theirbeauty, but the instruments are played with great skill and passion,and the music becomes more lovely with every replay. Violin, viola, andcello are joined with guitars and Rhodes piano and the aforementionedcomputer instruments — no percussion. It's not missed or even needed,and the sounds all swirl together in an artful embrace. I hope the bandtours outside their native New York so I can see this first hand, andthat there's more to come from these practitioners of the slow andsomber.
An orchestral band with an interesting twist, Slow Six have compiledthis debut album from tracks they've recorded over the last four years,though none of it sounds in the least dated. The twist is the use of anactive computer that takes in the sounds the members make andinterprets them into what it will, used mainly in a live setting butput to slight use on these recordings, as well. Though they work withother artists when they perform as sort of a rule, there is no missingcomponent when listening to these songs, as they're certainly dynamicenough to hold attention. Sometimes they take a while to warm up, or toget to that next shift, but there's never a moment of absolutestaggering boredom that attacked me. What also struck me is the care inthe packaging, like it was an art project all its own, as the coverphoto has so much meaning, like the Empire State Building is a greatunknown forbidden to those who live behind the fence. The liner notesare actually a photograph of the walls in their rehearsal space, whereguitarist Peter Cressy actually wrote the words on the wall in a veryelegant style. It's a small gesture, but it shows the commitment andcare of these artists to and for their work. The songs number three,with the shortest clocking it at almost nineteen minutes, and theyrepresent a full range of emotions as well as variations in what theband is capable of. Each has its own breath and life, and moves with aspirit that feels like a wise and aged soul. To break these massivepassages down to "the violin sounds great" is almost an insult to theirbeauty, but the instruments are played with great skill and passion,and the music becomes more lovely with every replay. Violin, viola, andcello are joined with guitars and Rhodes piano and the aforementionedcomputer instruments — no percussion. It's not missed or even needed,and the sounds all swirl together in an artful embrace. I hope the bandtours outside their native New York so I can see this first hand, andthat there's more to come from these practitioners of the slow andsomber.
