(Slowlands and Takka Takka)

We’ve been casually listening to Slowlands‘ full-length Never Was There A Town since it was sent to us nearly a year ago. From the first listen, we were taken with it, so we’re sorry it’s taken us this long to talk about them here on the site. Unless we have a personal relationship of some sort with a band, we tend to reserve voicing our thoughts until we’ve had a chance to see them live. For whatever reasons, we hadn’t had a chance to make it out to see the band live until last night — we just couldn’t resist this triple threat:

• 1. Finally seeing Slowlands live
• 2. A Takka Takka CD release party
• 3. The whole thing taking place at our new favorite neighborhood hangout, Union Hall

Now’s the part where we play the “let’s try to pigeonhole the sound of the band” game…

The best we can do is to say that Slowlands plays spacey* indie rock with the slightest, and most pleasant, hint of folk. If we had to say they sound like anyone, we might suggest Sufjan Stevens, but that doesn’t really capture them in full. When they hit their full-band highs, they sound bigger than any singer-songwriter can, no matter how many pieces the orchestra backing him may have. They’re good at writing and performing songs that work on a slow burn, building up and pulling you in as they escalate to dramatic heights. There were a number of highlights in Slowlands’ set that had us going back to their CD this morning to take another close listen, which quickly led us to the realization that there really aren’t many highlights on the album because it’s pretty strong across the board.

So, yes, we like Slowlands and suggest you take a listen. Here’s a track from the aforementioned album:

mp3: “Eisenstein”

Also check them out on MySpace (of course).

Then came Takka Takka. We first saw them at Beg Yr Pardon #2 back in June. We liked them then and we like them now. Maybe more than before. About to go out on tour with Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Architecture In Helsinki, and releasing an album that’s sure to only continue garnering them critical acclaim, it’s hard to imagine their star doing much else other than rising. And last night’s set, a truly skilled performance that offered a near-perfect balance of musicianship and showmanship, proved they may just deserve every bit of star-rising that comes their way.

Now here comes “let’s try to pigeonhole the sound of the band” round two…

Of all the comparisons floating around out there, we think perhaps the Bob Dylan one fits best. But more in terms of sound than attitude. Actually, maybe it’s more accurate to compare them to The Band.** Takka Takka shares the same sense of joyful musicianship that Robertson, Helm, et al always seemed to bring to the table, whether it be on their own or in working with Dylan. Not only do these guys know how to play; they unabashedly enjoy it and aren’t afraid to show it, something perhaps rarer in a band from New York, the oftentimes-capitol of cynicism, than you might think. And, watching them live — or listening to their great new album, We Feel Safer At Night — you’ll not only enjoy the experience, but also how much they seem to enjoy it. So, please, listen to these two tracks from the album:

mp3: “We Feel Safer At Night”
mp3: “Coco In The Corner

And also go download their web-only EP, Fall Apart Art and visit them on MySpace because that’s the thing to do in these cases.

And, of course, go see them on September 14th, when they play FRICTION at Sin-e before heading out on tour.

* We mean “spacey” in the best sense of the word — sort of “space rock-like,” not “space case-like.”

** There’s also an occasional healthy helping of Pavement-style playfulness.