Search - Slow Dazzle :: View From the Floor

One of this years best

Derek Keogh | Dublin, Ireland | 06/14/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"To say that this record invokes comparisons to Richard and Linda Thompson is a tad unfair. Seriously. I never really liked The Thompsons and in my humble opinion this record stands alone and without comparisons to the aforementioned duet. Two of the songwriters behind 'The Mendoza Line', Timothy Bracy and Shannon McArdle have collaborated on what will surely be one of the records of the year.



The view from the floor (after 7 or 8 listens...mostly on the 40 minute commute to work in the car), is very very different from a Mendoza Line record. But it opens with a bang! 'Fleur de lis' is a winner. Straight off the bat..winner.



Welfare State is old fashioned avant garde, if you get my meaning. It seems old but is totally new. The electronic vibe off the album took a while to digest (i can be totally allergic to electronica) but it seems to fit well...There's a whole kind of embryonic sense of something ready to burst out of a shell with the record and when you get to 'The Prosecution Rests' and the title track, it settles into a very nice groove indeed.



It's a lot more liberated a record, even though it is constrained by the lack of musicians compared to a Mendoza Line record, the songs are more insightful, the whole project it seems was probably (and I may be surmising a bit here) borne out of a necessity to express creatively what fell outside the boundaries of the collective that is The Mendoza Line. And it succeeds.



I like the mixture of styles, the constant variation of tempos and sounds, its a more relaxed record, more uninhibited than the ML records, free-er with regard to the introspective nature of songwriting..



In a nutshell, where the Mendoza Line is a beer drinking record, this one is more mature, more red wine than Heineken...



This project is a start, the road it leads down is foggy and winding and I only hope that there is a follow up in the future. But taken on it's own, it's A HELL OF A RECORD! And is definitely in the top 10 this year so far!



I have to make special mention of two things. Number one, the Lenny Cohen cover, "Anthem". Shannon McArdle is a very brave woman to attempt a cover of THAT song, but it is a justified bravery. "The Future" is one of Leonard's most underrated albums and Shannon's cover of, what has always been a personal favourite, ranks way up there with the best Leonard Cohen cover of all time (and it's NOT Jeff Buckley's 'Halleluia' - which I just can't take to!) 'The Pixies' version of 'I can't forget'...



Great great record

"

Magnificent

manhugh | Pittsburgh, PA | 06/16/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This disc is a creeping, contagious masterpiece. Other reviews state comparisons and I can't hear them. This is totally original music that slowly embeds into your psyche. This is one of those discs where you will catch yourself humming from in the middle of the day. I am so glad I discovered Bracy and McArdle. With The Mendoza Line and now this disc, they have fast become my favorite musicians. Get this disc!"

Simply dazzling

E. T. Higgins | south of the border | 06/10/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"well, 2005 is almost halfway over and yesterday i listened to

the best cd i've heard this year; 38 minutes of mesmerizing

music that ended way too soon. a side project of shannon mcardle

and timothy bracy of the mendoza line, "view from the floor" by slow dazzle is better than anything produced by the excellent

mendoza line. that's how totally awesome this cd is.

inspired somewhat by the talented linda and richard thompson,

this cd surpasses anything produced by the thompsons'.

again, that's how compelling "view from the floor" is.

extremely highly recommended!!"