Slow Runner "No Disassemble" (Red Ink)
By Ryan Harig
Thursday. Jun 01, 2:47 AM
“Under the Western Freeway Part Two?”

Quirky geek pop has been a continuing indulgence of mine. Grandaddy, The Flaming Lips, The Dismemberment Plan, and Starlight Mints have all provided good sunshine recovery when the rain clouds came. Maybe Michael Flynn, the main songwriter behind Slow Runner, feels the same. Maybe he wanted himself and his Boston-based band mates to create a new The Sophtware Slump or even an Emergency & I? No Disassemble is an electronically-fueled saga, with candy coated sounds and Christmas light decorations filling your head. That’s good and all, but is it worth anything in the long run? And how does it weigh up against past pop classics?

Sadly, I have to go with my instinct and say that I’ve heard better. I’m sorry to disappoint Slow Runner and fans of the band, but it’s a definite “miss” in terms of pop pursuit. Starting with the opening title track, I immediately felt like I was listening to Grandaddy’s “Under the Western Freeway.” It felt like I was retreading through something lacking originality. The feeling continues throughout the album, never breaking its likeness to other bands. Lyrically the hooks are there, but the honesty in the music sadly doesn’t evoke giddy pop joy.

I can’t completely write off this disc, though, because there are a few moments that are interesting: the startling, piano-driven “Streamlined,” which – coupled with “Don’t Let Them See Me Like This” – make for two very good (but late) entries on a so-so record.

I don’t want to write off Slow Runner completely because there’s a lot of potential in the making… they just need to find their own identity. No Disassemble has been done before: it’s a nice reminder of music I like, but after a while you just get bored and annoyed.
www.slowrunnermusic.com

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Ryan Harig

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