Search - Slow Runner :: No Disassemble

Here's a list of the bands that will be name-checked in this review, or should be, just to get it out of the way: Thom Yorke, the Eels, Rufus Wainwright, the Wrens, Pinback, and Ben Folds. Slow Runner revolves around Michael Flynn, a keyboard-pounding frontdude who notably won a John Lennon Songwriting Scholarship. He sounds quite a bit like Yorke and his songs tend to have a lot in common with Wainwright and Folds, but the band flesh out arrangements interestingly enough to where this sounds like a mix tape of three or four bands. It's a strong debut, with lyrics that are self-deprecating but not overly so, and they're smart ("my loneliness is so refined it's streamlined"). It's nothing to totally lose your cool about but definitely a worthy soundtrack to late night driving while lost or something equally moody and chill. ?Mike McGonigal