Slow Club - 'Yeah So' (Moshi Moshi) Released 06/07/09

Having seemingly being on the edge of the scene for a long time Slow Club finally get around to releasing ‘Yeah So’ their debut album. Forming in 2006 and releasing a slew of singles and an EP through the ever reliable Moshi Moshi over the years and the Sheffield duo have built up a ground swelling of support whose vintage record players will be awaiting the release of ‘Yeah So’ with itchy needles. The acoustic two-piece use their limited resources to great effect, they bash and clatter a variety of instruments and can also bring the hush too with sublime intimacy. Obvious comparisons to White Stripes more stripped back moments are just that, however album opener ‘When I Go’ has the child like simplicity and innate sweetness of a ‘White Blood Cells’ track such as ‘We’re Going To Be Friends’ or ‘The Same Boy You’ve Always Known’.

This old-fashioned sense of good manners and politeness runs throughout ‘Yeah So’, possibly to its detriment though many ears will find it utterly charming. The two members of Slow Club (Charles and Rebecca) play their individual roles in the band to mixed results across the album. For example; Charles guitar playing is fantastic throughout, from the jangle pop of ‘Giving Up On Love’ to the wild West picking and strumming showcased on ‘It Doesn’t Have To Be Beautiful’ he bends and manipulates his instrument with aplomb, making it sound authentic and genuine. However, the parts where he is called to sing fall flat. His fellow Clubber Rebecca boasts a delightful and light natural voice that floats throughout the record beautifully, particularly on ‘Sorry For The Doom’, but on the parts where Charles comes to take lead vocals (‘Dance Til’ The Morning Light’, ‘There Is No Good Way To Say I’m Leaving’) the delivery grates and drowns Rebecca out. It is also noticeable how much ‘Dance Til’ The Morning Light’ sounds exactly like ‘When I Go’. Is it possible to plagiarise yourself?

Album highlights come in the shape of the smooth and sweet ‘Trophy Room’ and the celebratory hoe-down of ‘Our Most Brilliant Friends’ both of which pack in all the energy of the band whilst staying just the right side of twee. A band called Slow Club are never going to make vital, life changing music and so it will be no surprise that they haven’t. ‘Yeah So’ is a good first album released about a year late. It won’t change the world, but it might just be the start of a delightful career for at least one of the bands' members.