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"analog.living"
(CD)
amBiguous CITY! Records
Summer 2002
"Summer
2002 Sampler" (CD)
Songs: Analog Living, Varnish On
Reinforcement Records
Summer 2002
 
 
 
 
 
 
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BIOGRAPHY
Chris Gobo Pierce (Drums/Vocals),
David Urbano (Vocals/Guitar), Mina Kelada (Guitar), Jason Skislak
(Bass/Samples)
From darker shadows, healthy inspirations,
and a newly invigorated vice for song manipulation (some call
it inspired) comes the pile of demos and songs that didn't belong
anywhere except with the slow wire. "I knew it was in me,
somewhere hidden. And it wasn't a splinter." What came for
guitarist/singer Dave Urbano was a jackpot full of dissonance,
pop and oral transgressions that are sure to give you that extra
sense you have been stalked before. Maybe not by Dave. Someone
was taking notes, he claims, and dropped them in his head.
So he took a drummer he liked, Tommy
Bendel, and said here is this riff, and it goes into this chord
and that chord and I will try and sing, or pull something airy
that sounds like singing which happens upon a melody or two. He
coped. He showed him 11 more. Twenty minutes later he told him
to meet on such and such a date in Hoboken and they were to start
recording an album with Wayne Dorell at this studio the Pigeon
Club, where Wayne has worked with Aviso'Hara (Urbano's other band
in which he plays bass), True Love, and Yo La Tengo to mention
just a few.
He says, "OK." And last March
the sessions popped up on a periodic bullet-filled calendar making
analog.living conclude at a mastering session with his very first-ever
guitar teacher Alan Douches at West West Side. The news made Alan
feel old to say the least. "Right after my very first guitar
lesson I can remember that I knew one day I wanted to invent my
own style of playing. What I didn't know is that it would involve
keyboards to create texture, lots of guitar mistakes, and take
a long time to develop."
On analog.living, he took a whole bunch
of songs from 4-tracks amassed, wrote many new ones, and smashed
some out the window. Decided he didn't want anybody else playing
on them, except for Wayne and Amy Jacob of Prosolar Mechanics.
Simultaneously penning lyrics that describe the soundscapes which
were written to someone he had not yet met.
Then he decided he wanted a band to
go along witt this new rock flavor. Morgan Chen, old friend and
comrade of the Make-Out Party, seemed to be nerdy enough about
guitars and music; he came first. Tommy dropped out, so the next
sure bet was his old buddy Chris Pierce (doc hopper/sinkhole)
in the drummer role. He still needed a bass player besides himself.
Dave realized that this DJ Skiz "was pretty damn good and
could pull it off with one arm. Not that the music is all that
difficult; it's just if you consider the time spent to come up
with this collection." Urbano concludes, "It's one of
those things that just doesn't happen overnight. You just wake
up one day and it's there for the taking."
THEY'RE
SAYING WHAT?
David Urbano is the bass player for
the great Aviso Hara, and while that band is currently on hiatus
as they gear up for a (hopefully soon) influx of cashflow for
further recording, Dave has been writing his own songs & put
together The Slow Wire, which currently is the best cd I have
heard all year out of any band from New Jersey. Of course I immediately
want this review's attention to go to their brilliant 80's New-wavey
cover of Guided By Voices "Motor Away" but that would
be shortchanging the brilliant original songs that Urbano has
put together… farfisa keys underlay strum-pop indie rock
& the voice of Dave is sly & monotonous like Imperial
Teen pulls off often… the one drawback to this cd is the
silly and blasphemous parody of the best song to ever exist on
the planet, "Sympathy For The Devil" by The Rolling
Stones. I will forgive them, but it will take awhile. That aside,
this is pretty much a perfect indie pop album. Find some mp3's
of this band, check them out, and fucking buy this album, put
the songs on mixes for your friends, request them on 3WK, drive
to the east coast & see them live, get some stickers, put
them on your car, wear their shirts to school, and if you are
bored, spray paint their name underneath the most prominent bridge
in town. (4 Stars)
- GY, Torpedo Magazine
On Analog Living, The Slow Wire appealingly
mixes the standard guitar-bass-drums setup with Moog and Wurlitzer
noodling to weave a near-perfect indie pop pastiche. At times
redolent of of Superchunk, Seam, and other indie pop stalwarts,
The Slow Wire nevertheless presents a contribution to that canon
worthy of its own recongnition with this collection of ten tracks
and three untitled bonus songs. "Super Glue" mixes singer-songwriter-guitar-bassist-keyboardist
David Urbano's vocals with those of Amy Jacob (who provides backing
vocals0); It's by the airiest track on the album, but the male-female
hamonies put a pretty spin on the song's catchy formula/ "Badweather
Friend" is a lish, dreamy, synth-based slow drone; while
the title track that immediately follows shifts into a driving,s
traight-up rock 'n roll groove. "Pixel Addict", one
of the most conventionally catchy yet aesthetically arresting
tracks on the album, demonstrates the band's clear Pixies influences.
Analog Living avoids the irritating shoegazer tendencies so ingrained
in many of The Slow Wire's contemporaries, and while it's not
a groundbreaking record, it's a smooth and infectious effort that's
all the more welcome in an era in which good new pop records are
too hard to find.
- Amanda Cantrell, Pop Culture Press
Considering the recent role reversal
where indie rock—not pop—will eat itself (from garage
rock to Ryan Adams, it’s all textbook revisionism), it’s
damn refreshing to hear the contained roar of a staunch do it
yourselfer ring a new tune. In The Slow Wire’s case, its
moonlighting Aviso’Hara bassist Dave Urbano laying fresh
focus on a saturated approach. Neither referencing the Stonsey
swagger of the White Stripes, the velvety drone of The Strokes
nor The Kinks kick of the Mooney Suzuki, The Slow Wire instead
drop enthralling moody power pop shot without a flash. With not
a wasted note to be found, the maximally efficient analog.living
is a marked departure from Aviso’Hara. Trimmed of excess
noise with no dissonance merely for the sake of, analog.living
is liberatingly free of pretense. Enlisting the soaring vocal
support of Prosolar Mechanics’ Amy Jacob, “Super Glue”
pops like rock candy, and “Badweather Friend” is so
darkly lilting Urbano barely rises above a sustained, albeit dramatic
whisper. Not forsaking his roots, the title track is a hearty
reminder that Mr.Urbano still knows how to rock and will do so
anytime he damn well pleases. Crafted as a complete album with
every cohesive note piecing the puzzle together, The Slow Wire’s
post-everything punk re-acquaints indie rock with its progressive
roots –not regressive—roots. Grade A
- Chris Uhl, Music Editor, Arts Weekly
“Analog Living” by The Slow
Wire out of New Jersey is an amazing album to say the least. The
songs are incredible but the sheer production aspect of this album
is what intrigues me the most. The album was basically created
by one man — David Urbano (with the exception of a Guided
by Voices cover). He wrote every original song on the album, contributed
two guitar tracks he wrote for each song, played the bass and
the additional keyboard riffs that supply the album with the overall
melody. Oh yeah. He sings too. Despite a few drum loops, it’s
all Urbano. With the commanding aspect Urbano has over the album
and its laid back, rhythmic sound, it shares a striking resemblance
to everybody’s favorite band Weezer. Urbano obviously has
the kind of control and overall vision of what he wants his albums
to sound like much like the way Rivers Cuomo does when it comes
to writing his albums. Even though Cuomo has a little production
assistance from Cars frontman Ric Ocasek, which might help. I’ll
probably take flack for saying so, but I feel the best way to
sell a CD is to simply say that it sounds like Weezer. Weezer’s
style is definitely more amped and while The Slow Wire doesn’t
exactly “go to 11,” their songs stay etched in one’s
memory for weeks at a time until you put in the record and listen
to its delightful tunes. Now don’t get me wrong, “Analog
Living” isn’t quite the sequel to “Pinkerton,”
it just has that unique quality that makes Weezer’s music
so enjoyable to listen to. A pop sound that can’t really
be defined just heard and enjoyed. There is so much more that
goes into this album than just guitars, drums and lyrics. It’s
multi-dimensional with synthesizers and a fancy production quality
that completes the album. For those students hanging out in the
Blacksburg area for spring break, The Slow Wire will be performing
at Baylee’s in downtown Blacksburg March 9 with Ted Leo and
the Pharmacists and The Most (formerly The National Trust.) Check
out “Analog Living,” go see the live show which is probably
just as amazing as the album and send me an email thanking me
for having such great musical insight.
- Collegiate Times, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg,
VA
"There are echoes of Guided by
Voices, Magnetic Fields, Superchunk, Britpop. the Elephant Six
Collective's neo-psychedelia, and lots more, mixing guitars and
synths (Moog and Wurlitzer organ) with harmony vocals and head-bobbing
beats (drums mostly by Tommy Bendel now inPlug Spark Sanjay).
From the winsome innocence of "Super Glue" to the Crazy
Horse grunge of "Analog Living" to the slow loping pop
whimsy of "Pixel Addict," Slow Wire keeps throwing different
textures, tempos, and dynamics at you withe a casual grace that's
a180 degree twist from the sonic train-wreck of Aviso'hara."
- Jim Testa, Jersey Beat
Really nice moody and melodic guitar rock. The Slow Wire is the
brainchild of David Urbano...a young gentleman with the voice
and songwriting skills to go far. This album was recorded at Wayne
Dorell's Pigeon Club. The thick compositions on analog.living
are smart and energetic...but there's a strong melodic sense that
pushes them to another level. Urbano's vocal style is just right.
His breathy vocals are in that perfect part of the mix in between
the guitars and the bass...and he makes it all sound like it takes
no effort at all (which we are certain is actually NOT the case...).
The tunes, are, for the most part direct and to the point...with
little excess in terms of overdubs and arrangements. Plenty of
good, heady, alternative guitar rock here... Our particular favorites
are "Crossed Wires," "Medicine," "Pixel
Addict" (great song AND great song title), and "Untitled
Somehow." Killer tunes, killer delivery... (Rating: 5 out
of 5)
- Baby Sue
"Urbano himself should also be proud, as he has turned a
string of loose ideas into a nifty side project worthy of a headlining
gig. What could have been a tacky concept album, or a beleaguered
bassist's nonsensical moment in the spotlight, instead proves
that Urbano can perform quitewell in that spotlight, thank you,
and that The Slow Wire deserves more than the dreaded "side
project" status. I never knew I'd want to go back to 1995,
but Analog.living took me there and reminded me how much fun alt-rock
could be."
- Justin Kownacki, Splendid E-Zine
GET IN TOUCH
Band Email: slowwire@slowwire.com
Booking: booking@slowwire.com
Management: jackielee@kittykatmanagement.com
www.slowwire.com
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