Search - Lucas Van Lenten :: Slowpoke

OK, I'm biased...

Lucas Van Lenten | Brooklyn, NY United States | 09/27/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm biased because this is my album. It has it's flaws but it's still pretty good. Don't take my word for it, though,

check out what the pros said:





"You know the stuff you rub out of your eyes when you wake up? It's the stuff of sleep and dreams, and that's what Slowpoke is made of. Lucas Van Lenten, who has played in several groups, most notably in Duchess with his wife and sister, has apparently been sneaking this stuff in small doses, because this is his first solo outing.



Recorded in studios and bedrooms in Austin and Brooklyn, it's a superb collection of half-remembered landscapes, lazy hopes and lingering pop melodies. Van Lenten sets the game plan with opener "S.O.S.": high, wavering vocals, pulsing bass and gently crackling guitars. His vocal stylings cop from both Phoenix and Quasi, taking the former's phrasing and the latter's desperation. The song starts out slow, but kickstarts about halfway in, moving from a stroll to a stride. Like much of the album, it doesn't seem concerned about the destination so much as the getting there. "Picture Show" drifts into your ear like a secret, then lodges in whatever part of your brain is responsible for earworms. Quietly bleeping synths, gently strummed acoustic guitar and Van Lenten's sweet croon turn into something moving and ineffable when they merge. There's only one disappointment: the song ends far too soon.



Of course, this wouldn't be a bedroom album if there weren't a few sonic experiments. "Missing" ably covers that base with misplaced tones and disturbing moodiness; there's a sense that you're descending into previously unknown depths. Elsewhere, "The Acid Gang", "Loot" and "Mutiny On The Bountiful" sound like The Soft Bulletin as remixed by The Books. Of course, like most analogies, it breaks down if you listen too closely, but on these three songs the open-layered feel that has become The Books' calling card mixes easily with the quavering vocals and hopeful attitude commonly associated with the Flaming Lips' recent classic.



This is a damn beautiful album. Material that should be hazy, sleepy and ephemeral has been made tangible, livable, repeatable through Van Lenten's work. If you've ever wanted to relive the moment when you've just woken up and everything, however briefly, makes sense, Slowpoke is here to help".



~ Tyson Lynn (splendidzine.com)







"Brooklyn-based (by way of Austin, Texas) Lucas Van Lenten does a nice quiet bleepy thing mixing acoustic guitars and atmosperic electronics. Check out his cut "Picture Show" from his 2004 release Slowpoke over at his MySpace teepee. There's also a pretty nice dub number called "Ghost Ship Dub" that will wrap steely slide guitars around the inside of your skull... worth spending some time with."



~ junkmedia.com







"Brooklyn's Lucas Van Lenten is recording music that's a compelling mix of bedroom pop and clicking spacey electronics. While there's quite a lot of people swimming these days in the same tank as the Flaming Lips or Grandaddy, I like the dryness Van Lenten brings to his songs - things never get too drenched in sound. The songs are given space to quietly breathe, even as the psych clouds rise. There are a few songs available at the Flash-filled website for his label, and a few more at Van Lenten's MySpace page. It's at the latter that you can download the highlight: "Blacktop" is light-footed and starry eyed, caught somewhere between the Beta Band and The Notwist, pretty and shy".



~ wired.com (listening post blog)"