You all (should ) know AC Newman from The New Pornographers and their 2003 masterpiece "The Electric Version"... but his solo record, out next week i THINK, is not only the best thing he has put his name to, but one of the best albums i've ever heard... indie-pop/rock at it's absolute best!

ch-ch-check it out

I haven't heard "The Slow Wonder" yet, but I'm quite excited. I should piggyback 0's post, though, by mentioning that Carl's first band, Zumpano, made two great albums of moddy, power-poppy brilliance. They were one of the staples of my college radio show, and they played two benefits for my school.

I'm glad Carl's made such a name for himself in the New Pornographers.

For those who like Zumpano, Jason Zumpano's new band is called Sparrow and their self-titled record is a nice piece of orch-pop. Didn't blow me away, but it is pretty good.

Just downloaded it yesterday, and I've listened to it five times since then. Really great. I'll probably buy it.

I'm donkey909 on soulseek, and I have it shared.

I'm probably going to download it sometime this week; it's been getting fawningly good reviews across the board (Allmusic **** 1/2, Onion AV Club, Pitchfork 8.8, etc. etc.).

I just listened to this today. It's absolutely terrific, a Top 10 for the year so far for sure. Track 3, "On the Table," is one of the best songs I've heard in a long long while.

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Originally posted by Vykromond:
I'm probably going to download it sometime this week; it's been getting fawningly good reviews across the board (Allmusic **** 1/2, Onion AV Club, Pitchfork 8.8, etc. etc.).

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Don't worry--it'll be added to the site in the next few days. We got a little sidetracked with other projects this week.

I liked this, after a few listens, but I wasn't floored by it, yet. It's a lot more "indie" sounding than his work with the late, lamented Zumpano.

Track 3 is excellent, though. And I'll keep spinning it to see if I'm just missing something on this go around...

What a fantastic album. Just pure indie pop perfection. If this album isn't among my top 5 albums at the end of the year, I'll be extremely surprised. Soooo good.

It's not quite perfect, which is unfortunate because it's really quite close. "Most of Us Prizefighters" strikes me as a really weak track, mostly because of its irritating chorus. That chorus casts sort of a shadow over the next two songs ("The Battle for Straight Time," "Secretariat"), and it sort of seems like Newman is painting himself into a corner because those three songs all share some similar underlying sound.

But then there's "Come Crash," with that amazing doomy riff in the chorus, and then the album completely rights itself for the remaining four songs. What a great record.

I just thought that I'd add a little bit of a different take on this album. First off, on my initial spin, the whole thing seemed underdeveloped, but I realize that can happen. I would probably say the same thing about "Electric Version."

I've heard it five times now, so things are becoming a bit clearer. It is a solid album; my favorite songs are the first two, "Miracle Drug" and "Drink to Me, Babe, Then" and the last two, "The Town Halo" and "35 in the Shade." I'd probably go with "Babe" and "Halo" as the best. I don't think that there are any bad songs, but somehow it just doesn't seem Top Ten material. You'll have to know that I thought the same thing about "Electric Version"; I played it for everyone and I enjoyed it, but it didn't make my top 25 last year. But, there on Village Voice Jop and Pazz Poll, it was #7, right behind Shins' "Chutes Too Narrow." To me this strives for a Shins feel, but it doesn't make it. Still, I'll be sharing this with everyone and hope to continue to enjoy it. It's just not going to surpass my love for so many other albums that I love this year. Everybody, please enjoy this album. Later, gators.

One other thing I should say now, and LinnTate, I doubt you're here, is that I was playing "The Town Halo" today, and it started sounding like ELO. It's still one of my favorite songs on the album, but I thought that it was worth sharing.

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Originally posted by mark f:
One other thing I should say now, and LinnTate, I doubt you're here, is that I was playing "The Town Halo" today, and it started sounding like ELO. It's still one of my favorite songs on the album, but I thought that it was worth sharing.

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I think you're right, mark f, though I'm not sure that Jeff Lynne would have approved of sawing on the cellos quite that hard!

As a general characteristic, I don't generally warm to an album until I've heard it two or three times. If I like the first time around, it will probably be a lifetime favorite. _The Slow Wonder_ falls into the former category for me, but now that I have spun it a few times, I'm really, really liking it. The aforementioned "The Town Halo" with its crunchy cello hook is great and the lead off track "Miracle Drug" are my current favorites.

On the whole, it's been a good year for me with Newman. I discovered _Electric Version_ through a CD mix my sister-in-law sent us that had no cover thanks to her cat. The two tracks she included from The New Pornographers set me off in search of them and helped me get up to date with Zumpano as well.

I have an unfortunate number of friends in their 30s and 40s who lament that there is no good music coming out any more. A.C. Newman and _The Slow Wonder_ is another salvo in the battle to prove them wrong.

Now Playing: "Perfect Day" Ric Menck _The Ballad of Ric Menck_ (Summershine) <-- Thanks, philosopherEric!

Hmm, I didnt get this kind of reaction to it at all, personally I thought it was just a mediocre album with no true standout track or anything to set it apart compared to whats out there, I mean... it's alright, but compared to The New Pornographers I dont think it's nearly as good.

I've listened to this album 3 times. While it seemsgood enough, I don't quite understand all the praise lavished on it. There are definitely some good tracks like "Drink to Me Babe Then," "On the Table," "Come Crash," and "The Town Halo," but there are some very weak ones as well. I would go so far as to call them filler. When a CD is only 33 mintutes long, there is little room for error, and this album tumbles too often to deserve the kind of plaudits it's received.