The Slow Wonder
Encyclopedia
The Slow Wonder is the debut solo album by A.C. Newman
, who is better known as the frontman of The New Pornographers
and Zumpano
. It was released in 2004 on Matador Records
.
rating of 80 based on 21 reviews. Brandon Stosuy of Pitchfork Media
said the album "fits together for a taut 34 minutes without lags or rough spots" and could be "viewed as collection of singles." Allmusic wrote that standout tracks such as new wave sound of Secretarial combined with the sunny power pop of Miracle Drug or On the Table makes "[The Slow Wonder] essential". In another positive review Rolling Stone
said "Newman pens melodies that seem to have sprung from the collective unconscious and then encases them in bright, lush power-pop arrangements."
There were a handful of less than positive views on the album. Alternative Press said the album "sounded like demos" Newman was preparing for a future release. Although Anthony Miccio of the Village Voice wrote "uptempo grins like "On the Table" make denying the pleasantness of it all impossible," he proceeded in criticizing it for just being "pop," and being "just something to zone out too."
The song "On the Table" was featured on the Fox TV show The O.C.
and appeared on its official soundtrack.
Carl Newman
Allan Carl Newman is a Canadian musician and songwriter. He was a member of the indie rock bands Superconductor and Zumpano in the 1990s. Following the breakup of those bands, he reemerged as the leader of The New Pornographers in 2000....
, who is better known as the frontman of The New Pornographers
The New Pornographers
The New Pornographers is a Canadian indie rock band formed in 1997 in Vancouver, British Columbia.-History:The band's first four albums each ranked in the top 40 on The Village Voices Pazz & Jop year-end poll of hundreds of music reviewers. From 2000 to 2006, either a New Pornographers' album or a...
and Zumpano
Zumpano
Zumpano was a Canadian indie rock group in the 1990s.The band, whose power pop style resembled such contemporaries as Sloan and The Super Friendz, comprised vocalist/guitarist Carl Newman, keyboardist Michael Ledwidge, bassist Stefan Niemann and drummer Jason Zumpano.The band formed in 1992 after...
. It was released in 2004 on Matador Records
Matador Records
Matador Records is an independent record label, with a roster of indie rock artists and bands.-History:Matador was started by Chris Lombardi in 1989 in his New York City apartment. The following year, Lombardi was joined by former Homestead Records manager Gerard Cosloy, and the two of them have...
.
Reception
The Slow Wonder was met with generally positive reviews as signified by its MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
rating of 80 based on 21 reviews. Brandon Stosuy of Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
said the album "fits together for a taut 34 minutes without lags or rough spots" and could be "viewed as collection of singles." Allmusic wrote that standout tracks such as new wave sound of Secretarial combined with the sunny power pop of Miracle Drug or On the Table makes "[The Slow Wonder] essential". In another positive review Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
said "Newman pens melodies that seem to have sprung from the collective unconscious and then encases them in bright, lush power-pop arrangements."
There were a handful of less than positive views on the album. Alternative Press said the album "sounded like demos" Newman was preparing for a future release. Although Anthony Miccio of the Village Voice wrote "uptempo grins like "On the Table" make denying the pleasantness of it all impossible," he proceeded in criticizing it for just being "pop," and being "just something to zone out too."
The song "On the Table" was featured on the Fox TV show The O.C.
The O.C.
The O.C. is an American teen drama television series that originally aired on the Fox television network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 21, 2007, running a total of four seasons...
and appeared on its official soundtrack.
Music on The O.C.
The use of music on FOX drama The O.C. gained much acclaim. Show creator Josh Schwartz wanted music to be a "character on the show" and the experienced Alexandra Patsavas took the role of music supervisor. The show's orchestral music was composed by Christopher Tyng. The series is credited with...
Track listing
- "Miracle Drug" – 2:19
- "Drink to Me, Babe, Then" – 3:32
- "On the Table" – 3:57
- "Most of Us Prizefighters" – 2:28
- "The Battle for Straight Time" – 3:58
- "Secretarial" – 2:35
- "Come Crash" – 3:03
- "Better Than Most" – 2:33
- "The Cloud Prayer" – 2:28
- "The Town Halo" – 3:11
- "35 in the Shade" – 3:22
- "Homemade Bombs In The Afternoon" (Japanese edition bonus track, Also available on iTunes)
Production
- John CollinsJohn Collins (Canadian musician)John Edward Collins is a member of The New Pornographers, Destroyer, and The Evaporators. He plays the bass, guitar, synthesizer, ebow and sings....
- ProducerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music... - Howard RedekoppHoward RedekoppHoward Redekopp is a Vancouver, British Columbia-based Canadian music producer/mixer/engineer.In 2009, Rolling Stone ranked one of Howard's projects, The New Pornographers' Electric Version, #79 in the "100 Best Albums of the Decade".-Discography:...
- MixerMixing engineerA mix engineer is the person responsible for incorporating all the different recorded elements of music to make the final version of a song. These mixing professionals have many years of experience and training with audio equipment which has enabled them to master the art of audio mixing...