Note – we know we’re massively late to the party with this one, but it’s such an amazing record, it deserves a review even some 10 months after the fact. If you’ve already got it, skip this review and go listen again – it’s all you need. If, like us, you unaccountably missed out, read and buy (or skip reading and just buy) – you won’t regret it…
It’s fair to say that the once prolific Soul Asylum have slowed their pace somewhat. The band, who managed eight albums between 1984 and 1998, have produced a scant five albums in the last twenty-seven years, the majority of which have focused on the band’s gentler side. Imagine the surprise, then, to find that Slowly But Shirley leans heavily into the band’s punkier fare, with a side helping of the twisted funk that drove songs like Caged Rat. More to the point, there’s a fair argument to be made that it’s the sparkiest album the band have released since their masterpiece – Let Your Dim Light Shine – with that same unique mixture of musical power and emotional vulnerability on full display.
Recorded live in the studio, listeners can get a fair indication of Slowly But Shirley’s brisk nature from the sheer number of tracks that clock in under or around the three-minute mark. Certainly, opening number The Only Thing I’m Missing doesn’t hang about, the band digging in with real energy as Dave’s weathered voice rings out between the riffs. With Michael Bland’s whip-crack drums driving the piece, Dave unveils the album’s manifesto with one simple couplet: “I dug my own grave, there’s still time to walk away”. It makes for a high-energy opener and The Only Thing I’m Missing sets a strong pace for what follows. The band hardly miss a beat as they race into High Road like the car on the cover. It’s honestly fantastic to hear Soul Asylum sounding quite so vital and we’re instantly transported back to those hot summer days of 1995 when Dave and the band, dreadlocks flying, raged across stages with punk rock abandon.
The first track to slow things down a touch is You Don’t Know Me. Slower perhaps, but still gritty thanks to the raw recording style, it’s a lovely song that harks back to the band’s earliest days and, as Dave sings “I’ve still got what it takes”, he could just as easily be referring to the band as to a relationships. The attitude returns on the stabbing, punky Freeloader, which finds Dave and Ryan Smith trading riffs over Michael’s rock-solid foundation. Then there’s the funky Tryin’ Man, which manages to be both slinky and punishingly heavy at the same time, as Soul Asylum deftly switch between massive chords and hot-wired, wah-inflected funk riffs. The first half of the album winds up with Freak Accident – another track that nods to Let Your Dim Light Shine with its mid-paced tempo and almost palpable sense of yearning – and it’s already clear that this is one of of the band’s most accomplished, most vital albums in years.
Kicking off the second half of this excellent record, If You Want It Back may open with a massive, chunky riff, but it still manages to pack in a wonderfully poppy chorus, Ryan laying into his fretboard with real gusto. As the title implies, Waiting On The Lord finds Soul Asylum adding a country twang to the mix, although that punky fire is never far behind, and the result is a high energy piece with a glint in its eye and a chorus so catchy it should be made illegal. Simple rocker Trial by Fire is up next, with its chunky palm muted chords and churning bass from Jeremy Tappero. In contrast, the light-touch Makin’ Plans – all up-stroked guitar, vocal harmonies, and brisk percussion – is like an updated take on the Byrds and just as addictive. If you were wondering what might follow such a track – and had hard funk as the answer – award yourself ten points, as the short Sucker Maker is exactly that. Blink and you’ll miss it, because the band rip through it in just over two-minutes. It leaves the album to conclude with the lovely High & Dry. A lo-fi ballad with a melody to die for, it’s a track that neatly summarises the album’s strengths in one last, four-minute burst.
Soul Asylum have had an uneasy time in the 21st century, weathering illness within the band, line-up changes, and the vagaries of an increasingly challenging industry. Yet, when they have surfaced, it has been with records of real quality, reminding us that Dave Pirner is one of alternative rock’s most unsung heroes. Even so, there’s something really special about Slowly But Shirley. Recorded live in the studio it has a magic to it that recalls the band’s formative years and it’s delivered with a fire that belies the notion that this is a band in its fourth decade. For fans of the band, it is a gift – a reminder that Soul Asylum still care – and it stands as one of the band’s most powerful releases. 9.5/10
