The Slats

The Slats' three core members resemble a line-up of suspects in a high-school shooting -- all thick-framed glasses and shaggy bowl-cuts. There's something exciting about a band that's geeky as fuck and not afraid to show it, especially in the current rock climate, where style often seems to rule over substance. With Pick It Up, The Slats show how good the results can be when the equation is corrected. Their intelligent lyrics, anthemic melodies and angular noise exercises prove that they deserve the dubious honour of being called "the best damn band to ever come out of Iowa".
The Slats' sound is firmly entrenched in the literate, angular pop of early nineties, golden-age indie rock and the bass-heavy grooves of early-'80s post-punk. The band seems to perfectly mesh these two disparate-but-connected styles, creating a sound that satisfies the current indie desire for danceable rhythms without sacrificing the melodiously abstract pop sensibilities of classic indie faves. It all adds up to a fitting soundtrack for today, and possibly the most relevant indie-rock to emerge all year.

Lead singer and main songwriter Brian Cox echoes classic indie heroes through both his vocal work and lyrical style. At various times his voice recalls the high-pitched serenity of Ira Kaplan ("TEENA"), the vocal gymnastics of Robert Pollard ("Automobile"), the breathy pronunciation of Thurston Moore ("The War I Survived"), and even the mod stylings of Elvis Costello and Tim Finn ("The Fabric Of My Brass Knuxxx"). Despite the vocal variety, Cox's contributions avoid mere imitation; his inventive, original lyrics ultimately dispel doubts about his ability to innovate.

Cox is an excellent lyricist. Functioning with the same detached emotion and fun-yet-cynical intellectualism that made Malkmus so appealing, he spits out abstract literary gems. Consider these: "Put your head down on my shoulder / I'm just a sabre-tooth cobra" ("Teena"); "There's a narcissistic animal strapped into my engine / His masticating mandible snapped under my will" ("Automobile"); "I caught you there red-handed making head with my friend on the bathroom floor of a discotheque / I checked the longitude, longitude, referenced it back to my attitude" ("The Fabric Of My Brass Knuxxx"). More than a few of these tracks will confound you, even as you're singing along to words you've never heard before. Bassist Jon Hansen also contributes some outstanding tracks, indicating that The Slats may have a Stephen Malkmus/Spiral Stairs songwriting relationship going. "I Believe Timothy McVeigh" paints the struggle between McVeigh and the US Government as an Oedipal relationship, replete with a catchy-as-fuck call and response chorus in which the band members yell, "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury (Get your rocks off! Get your rocks off!)". It's another solid hallmark of the band's songwriting ability.

"The War I Survived" is another impressive accomplishment. Opening with simply-strummed chords and Cox's laconic, Thurston Moore-like drawl, it eventually escalates into a pogoing rhythm and an unforgettable melody that carries it to its explosive conclusion. Cox engages in geeky, pseudo-gangsta posturing a la Rivers Cuomo, screaming "Slay another with the backbeat! Steal the motherfucker's heartbeat!", backed by the band's "doo-doo-doo". It's a clever, funny, memorable song that recalls classic indie acts like The Pixies, Pavement, Guided By Voices and Archers Of Loaf -- something that I and many other listeners have sorely missed.

There's really not a rum track here; from the art-punk explorations of "Another Physical Reaction" and "Mouth Like A Shogun" to the anthemic pop of "TEENA" and "Automobile" to the more somber "Hello Operator" and "Ice Queen", The Slats do everything remarkably well. They've crafted a truly accomplished album that's intelligent, nerdy, arty, cynical, fun, derivative and original. At once representing the old school golden age and looking forward to contemporary dance-driven desires, Pick It Up is an indie-rock enthusiast's dream come true.



-- Rob Moran - Splendid E-Zine

Band name starting with “the”? Check. Two or three members in the group? Check. Lots of distortion and fuzz? Check. Nice melodies the kids can really hook into? Check. The Slats definitely have the current formula for indie hipster success covered, but the final question in the equation remains - does the band have what it takes to be a hit?


The answer to that is a little harder to come by than a simple yes or no response. These songs lean toward having the right combination of skronk and melody to make them appealing to most rock fans. In fact, the Slats are just on the cusp of almost everything so as not to repel any particular group of potential fans. The band certainly leans toward simple garage rock, and the sound is stripped down, but not so much so that those preferring a slicker studio sound will be turned off. The same goes for frontman Brian Cox’s vocals, which range from a clear singing voice to gruffer hollering depending on the song.


Perhaps the biggest plus for the Slats is smart songwriting. Not only do these guys let their pop sensibilities shine in the form of catchy rhythms and melodies, they tend to write intelligent lyrics which offer a lot more substance than most of their contemporaries. Pick it Up offers some great examples of simple but effective songwriting, and these are the tracks that really shine. “Another Physical Reaction” throws down some straightforward garage rock to get things moving and “The Diabetic Coma” picks takes the lead and dive bombs straight into the skronk along with the refrain “let’s rock to the insulin shock.”


The Slats seem most at home when allowing the pop to run free a bit more. “Automobile” is extremely catchy, and your inner-geek will get little thrills out lyric snippets like “masticating manible.” “Teena” is another fine example of the best of Pick it Up with its chugging tempo that reminds me greatly of the Cars. The same is true of “I Believe Timothy McVeigh” - the 80s and early-90s pop-rock line is shuffled along with great precision.


Although there are a few instances where the Slats seem to lose focus, Pick it Up is an overall solid album. As for whether these guys could make it big, in the end the answer is yes. If they stick to simple, catchy songs, I can see them going quite far. Even better is the fact that they will find their fans by being good at what they do instead of by looks or gimmicks thatdetract from the music.

- Jennifer Patton
- Delusions of Adequacy