Hailing from New York, the eight-piece instrumental outfit Slow Six have been making music for almost ten years. Their second album, Nor’easter, stands out musically due to its heavy use of a string section dominated by violins and guitars, and its complete neglect of percussion.
Slow Six’s music is, quite unsurprisingly, very slow. The music is atmospheric and mysterious, often times sounding like the soundtrack to a journey of tranquil drifting through outer space. Guitar, violin, viola, cello, and piano all interweave melodies against a hauntingly empty backdrop to create an eerie effect. Nor’easter often holds an air of tension, as if something is looming just out of sight, but unfortunately never reveals what that may be. There are parts, especially in the first and third tracks, where the music really comes together to form something coherent and beautiful. Unfortunately, the rest of the album fails to deliver. It feels like the music has no goal, and is simply wandering around for its own enjoyment. Many times, it feels as though the music is just about to erupt into a crescendo, but instead it fades away and begins again.
Of course, an ambient album can’t be expected to capture one’s attention the entire way through. However, even as background music, Nor’easter seems hard to listen to. As mentioned before, the first and third tracks stand as examples of what the band is capable of achieving; the rest of the album shows how tedious a lack of musical direction can get. The heavy use of non-guitar stringed instruments does make this album stand out, but other than that I would have a hard time recommending this album to anything except electro-acoustic, ambient, or experimental music fans.
| Reviewer: Josh Coppola Added: July 13th 2007 |
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