by Amy Upah
Daily Lobo
Members of the Slow Poisoners aren't just average guys who sing about breaking up with their girlfriends.
The eccentric band has debuted its new quirky album, Melodrama. Andrew Prisoner is on vocals, guitar and a little piano. Fox Trott plays guitar, drums and a variety of more obscure instruments, including a helmet.
They describe themselves as "an infernal marriage of David Bowie and Johnny Cash with gothic theatrics and roots music, beat poetry and a distortion box."
Melodrama is an odd experimental piece of music, which is indie rock with vocals reminiscent of the Aquabats. Throw in the eerie gloom of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," and you've got a solid CD.
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The members of the Slow Poisoners seem to reinvent their style and separate themselves from this type of sound by elaborating their individuality with contemplative lyrics and the occasional slow guitar riff. They attempt to recapture the essence of other bands such as the Shins or They Might Be Giants. Although the lyrics are poetic, it is hard to establish whether they are trying to articulate a concept or are just singing off on tangents.
At other times, the sound can be compared to a mariachi band or an old West piano man performing at a bar for cowboys.
The Slow Poisoners comment on conformity and American culture with songs such as "West Texas Caffeine Dream" and "Subway Serenade." The lyrics provoke deep thought after a few listens.
Although some of the songs are fast, fun and catchy, such as "Todo es Mal" - a poorly written Spanish song about how everything is bad - there are some songs with a slow rhythm. The slow pieces are written and composed well, but there is still an eerie, quirky and fun vibe that flows within the mysterious notes.
The album might trigger memories of being a depressed gothic preteen or of David Bowie dancing with muppets in "The Labyrinth."
A mix of fun and gloom, the songs comment on a consumer society that revolves around hairspray and insurance policies. The song "Subway Serenade" comments on the spirit living in an urban world.
Given Trott's constant wearing of airplane pilot apparatus, Poisoner's gothic style like that of a disgruntled man from the '50s, the peculiar tune of the piano hibernating behind melodies during songs, or the bashing of cymbals by a man blinded in goggles - this is certainly not the kind of band one would see on MTV.
Melodrama
The Slow Poisoners
Rocktopus! Music
Grade: B+
