Drummers of the
world unite and take over. Sunderland rock royalty join forces for
some gentle psychedelia.
Let's face it, in rock
history there's a fair number of bands in which the drummer was the
coolest member – Meg White, Charlie Watts, The Band's Levon Helm.
Hell, even Ringo was the most engaging raconteur on the Beatles
Anthology mega-fest from a few years ago. So when the drummers from
two of the north east's most respected bands decided make an album
together the result should be well worthy of attention. And so it is
with Slow Down, the resulting album made by Dave Hyde (from
The Futureheads) and Neil Bassett aka Beast (formerly of The Golden
Virgins).
The album title perhaps
referencing the difference in tempo between the material here and the
more up-tempo offerings of their other/previous bands. Rather than
being a percussion-heavy indulgence, the pair have instead produced a
laid-back, experimental and fun set of simple, 3-chord songs
completely at odds with any current trends. In fact they owe more to
the late 60's, early 70's proto glam of T-Rex, and the homespun,
feet-finding recordings of Paul McCartney's first solo album
McCartney.
Click over the jump for more on Slow Down.
