Free Slender Means show tonight

Hat tip to the anonymous comment in the shows for the week post for this one.

Slender Means is playing a free show at the Seattle Art Museum tonight (Thursday, 9/6) at 7pm. [blogger update: While the show is technically free, you still have to pay a Museum entrance fee] It'll probably look something like this:



Another note: They have made their song "Fade Out" downloadable from their myspace page now.

Slender Means "rock&roll machine" ep

I was fortunate enough to have a copy of the new Slender Means ep, titled Rock&Roll Machine, hand delivered to my mailbox last week.

As it turns out, one of the Slender Means guys lives pretty close to me. So, it was kind of odd to come home and find an envelope in my mailbox with no address... just "to gary, from slender means." But, I was pleased as punch to get a copy, as I was a big fan of their debut release, Neon & Ruin (side note: these guys like their ampersands!).

I'm going to do a track-by-track breakdown on this one, starting with...

Track 1 - Fade Out
The opener of the new ep would have easily fit onto Neon & Ruin, and thus it comes as no surprise that it was recorded during the same sessions as that record. In general Josh's vocals tend to be pitch perfect and pleasant. That remains true here, as well, but the tune has a little more "sneer" than much of Neon & Ruin. This track has a great organ-driven, almost garage feel. They're not as ragged or rough as a garage rock band, but this one is driven by that spirit and married with a super catchy melody. [blogger note: As of right now you can download this track free from their myspace page]

Track 2 - Ship Wrecked
Now here's an interesting track. The verse oddly uses a sort of Afro-Caribbean groove in the drums and bass, with a ringing, echoing guitar. The band does a great job of reflecting the lyrical content, which is speaks of a "drowning sailor" and being "ship wrecked and left for dead." I'm not sure if this is a metaphor for loneliness or if they're just painting a picture/telling a story. What this song lacks in hooks it makes up for in scene setting. Not their strongest tune. But, not a throw-away, either.

Track 3 - Foreign Legion
Foreign Legion opens with a drum machine and keyboard, laying the foundation for a soaring falsetto vocal. Two bands pop into my head right away with this song - Portishead and Coldplay. According to the liner notes, this one was recorded by Josh (alone, presumably?), and while it maintains a bit of a demo quality in terms of being so different than the sounds we're used to hearing from Slender Means, it's a very pleasant track.

Track 4 - The Comet (live)
This song really underscores how strong a live act Slender Means is. The first time I listened to it, I had no idea it was live until Cheryl Waters makes the announcement about KEXP after they end the tune! Wow. Album quality performance in a live setting. And having done an in-studio at KEXP fairly recently, I applaud loudly for them pulling off such nearly perfect vocals. The track itself is is typical Slender Means - solid, catchy, melodic.

If I have a criticism of Slender Means it would be that I'd like to hear a little more fire in their bellies. They're such a solid act and write great songs. But, I do get a sense of detachment from them that I can't quite describe in robust terms. A friend of mine used to say that good rock and roll requires a certain amount of stupidity, and I think I would turn the "stupid" button up about 10% with Slender Means.

But, don't let that stop you from picking up this otherwise stellar release that's worth a close listen.

Slender Means/MMTG photos

I took in the Slender Means/Martian Memo To God show down at the Croc tonight and snapped some photos. After leaving I realized I should've been snapping photos of everyone in their Halloween costumes. We had quite the diverse group of stars in attendance. I saw Michael Jackson, Pamela Anderson, someone who was either Sammy Davis Jr. or an African-American Elvis (couldn't quite tell which...), and then there was Slender Means...

... who were dressed as Buddy Holly, Slash, Rick James, Beethoven, and Ted Logan (Keanu Reeves' character from the Bill and Ted movie). Here are some shots of them:


Slender Means


Slender Means


Slender Means

(I've edited this to better expressed my feelings, because I learned the previous text offended someone whose feelings I care about)
Martian Memo To God was also on the bill. They were not dressed up for Halloween (meaning only the pictures are perhaps a little less interesting) and I don't have a ton to say about them, as the band really wasn't my cup of tea. They're good at rocking that 1980s influence, and they're a tight band. But, the vocals were less-than-ideal for my taste. But, all that aside, here are a few shots:

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Martian Memo To God

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Martian Memo To God

Slender Means show correction

So, I just got word from Eric in Slender Means that the show this Saturday (10/28) actually is NOT their ep release party. An error in the Stranger listing got that word circulated incorrectly.

But, of course, it's still going to be a cool show. So, don't let the non-release status keep you from coming!

And, since I was party to the dissemination of incorrect information, let me make it up to you by sharing a blurry picture of my dog with his tongue hanging out. :)


Bingham the dog

Slender Means ep release Saturday (10/28)

Although you'd never know it from their online presence, this Saturday (10/28) is the EP release show for Slender Means at the Crocodile. Their website sheepishly annouces the gig on their shows page. But, it makes no mention of the fact that it's their EP release, nor does their site or their myspace page make note of this fact.

But, modesty (or just bad marketing) on their part aside, I'm quite excited for this release. Neon and Ruin, their 2005 release was an excellent slice of powerpop, and I'm interested to see what they've put to tape for us on this EP.

Martian Memo to God opens the show, which costs $10. The doors open at 9pm. Be there!