Susan Frances
10/20/08, 07:34 PM
Slide Show Baby - Slide Show Baby
Record Label: Moriath Records
Release Date: June 26, 2007
Slide Show Baby is a rare band indeed. Their self-titled release is a montage of Celtic music with slips of emo-rock, orchestral-pop, softcore punk, and bluegrass swing. Lead vocalist Will MacMorran has a rawness in his pitch that is reminiscent of Coheed & Cambria’s Claudio Sanchez and a guitar style that is melodically versed for emo tempered rock. Fiddle player and backup vocalist Victor Gagnon configures charming bluegrass swing phraseology as the rhythmic grooves of bassist Sean McWilliams and drummer Bob Zuclich keep peoples feet tapping through the melodies. The music has country overtones though the songs are more energizing than country, and display a modern rock orientation in its Celtic-tinged streaks. The band’s self-titled album shows many different musical elements worked into the weaving lines, but not a hairline seems out of place and not a moment feels like it does not belong here. They take traditional sounds and breathe new life into them.
MacMorran’s rap-styled vocals on “The Fall Out” inflame the pogo-punk beats of the tune, before sliding into the sleeker rock grooves settling in along “Let Go” with a grease-slick of serpentine guitar licks moving in and out of the song. The agility in the winding fiddle phrases along “What the Funk?” produce energetic romps, which then cool off to a soft-pop welding through “Still the Same Now.” The rhythmic pumping of “Never Go Back” is comparable to Coheed & Cambria only with fluttering fiddle motions seeping through the melodic folds. The fiddles induce a country vibe into songs like “Long, Long Road“ and “Shine,“ but the tunes never lose their emo-rock appeal. The cheerfully tapping beats of “The Boozehound” are intertwined with the bluegrass swing wiring and a Celtic accent in the melody‘s instrumentation. The track “Newsflash” is a mid-weight whirlwind of fiddles and guitars in motion, while the angelic tone of the acoustic guitar strums in ’Outro” are mellow and heartfelt exuding of sincerity and serenity in its phrasing.
Slide Show Baby show lots of creativity and a good handle on making melodic montages that give off vibes of exuberance and sincerity. Their self-titled album sets them apart from other emo-rock bands, and shows that country and bluegrass have a place in rock music.
Flogging Molly, Dropkick Murphys, Coheed & Cambria, The Mighty Regis
www.myspace.com/slideshowbaby (http://www.myspace.com/slideshowbaby)
Record Label: Moriath Records
Release Date: June 26, 2007
Slide Show Baby is a rare band indeed. Their self-titled release is a montage of Celtic music with slips of emo-rock, orchestral-pop, softcore punk, and bluegrass swing. Lead vocalist Will MacMorran has a rawness in his pitch that is reminiscent of Coheed & Cambria’s Claudio Sanchez and a guitar style that is melodically versed for emo tempered rock. Fiddle player and backup vocalist Victor Gagnon configures charming bluegrass swing phraseology as the rhythmic grooves of bassist Sean McWilliams and drummer Bob Zuclich keep peoples feet tapping through the melodies. The music has country overtones though the songs are more energizing than country, and display a modern rock orientation in its Celtic-tinged streaks. The band’s self-titled album shows many different musical elements worked into the weaving lines, but not a hairline seems out of place and not a moment feels like it does not belong here. They take traditional sounds and breathe new life into them.
MacMorran’s rap-styled vocals on “The Fall Out” inflame the pogo-punk beats of the tune, before sliding into the sleeker rock grooves settling in along “Let Go” with a grease-slick of serpentine guitar licks moving in and out of the song. The agility in the winding fiddle phrases along “What the Funk?” produce energetic romps, which then cool off to a soft-pop welding through “Still the Same Now.” The rhythmic pumping of “Never Go Back” is comparable to Coheed & Cambria only with fluttering fiddle motions seeping through the melodic folds. The fiddles induce a country vibe into songs like “Long, Long Road“ and “Shine,“ but the tunes never lose their emo-rock appeal. The cheerfully tapping beats of “The Boozehound” are intertwined with the bluegrass swing wiring and a Celtic accent in the melody‘s instrumentation. The track “Newsflash” is a mid-weight whirlwind of fiddles and guitars in motion, while the angelic tone of the acoustic guitar strums in ’Outro” are mellow and heartfelt exuding of sincerity and serenity in its phrasing.
Slide Show Baby show lots of creativity and a good handle on making melodic montages that give off vibes of exuberance and sincerity. Their self-titled album sets them apart from other emo-rock bands, and shows that country and bluegrass have a place in rock music.
Flogging Molly, Dropkick Murphys, Coheed & Cambria, The Mighty Regis
www.myspace.com/slideshowbaby (http://www.myspace.com/slideshowbaby)