Artist Of The Month - Slow Club

May

Slow Club are Charles Watson and Rebecca Taylor...

Whilst doing a bit of research about them for this post I noticed something. Many reviews of them and their album Yeah So describe them as twee. I have no problem with twee music it's cheerful, light-hearted although without much depth...and that's the problem. Whilst Slow Club may make some cheerful songs, which can be blithe, with lyrics like: "there's people in the floorboards said the mouse". Yeah So clearly has many many other influences - the shoegazey opening of "There Is No Good Way To Say I'm Leaving You" is just one example.




It's sad to see such a great band being pigeonholed into what can seem a very limiting genre, and to prove that I'm not alone in finding this frustrating, Rebecca Taylor said on twitter (@Slowclubrebeca) "call us twee and ill kick u". While this is evidently without malice, it must be frustrating for a band so bursting with talent to be written off as just another twee duo. Trying to push bands into a genre just so we know what to call them can be disastrous.

Yeah So itself is extremely enjoyable, every track is easy to listen to without being dull. Beautiful harmonies from beautiful voices are backed nicely by guitars, drums and the occasional wooden chair...perhaps something which goes towards the constant accusations of being twee.

My personal favourite tracks at the moment are
I Was Unconscious It Was A Dream not least for the brilliant lines "And all of this because I've been screaming girl's names in the night/I was unconscious, it was a dream/ Just let it die, die, die."
There Is No Good Way To Say I'm Leaving You, the title alone conveys such a difficulty-expressed emotion with simplicity and tenderness.

Having said that, just trying to pick just two preferred songs from this album is almost impossible. Every song has different reasons to be amazing; the vocals are impeccable (Sorry About The Doom is so impossibly beautiful Rebecca has such an amazing voice) and the entire thing feels lovingly assembled. With faces to match their gorgeous voices Slow Club look set to make a lasting impression.