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The most amazing power-pop album I've heard all year.
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SpinLets you better appreciate his knack for weaving glorious pop songs out of change-ups and mixed signals. [Jul 2004, p.109]
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Carl Newman deserves every last bit of praise thrown his way. In a better world, he would be our Elton, our Todd, our McCartney, and Slow Wonder would be on everyone's iPod, rotating on M2 hourly, and his name would be on the lips of everyone from aged Royalty to teen-aged girls.
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These songs are timeless. These songs are addictive. These songs are great. Why can't every album be like this?
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True to its title, The Slow Wonder is a much more relaxed and toned-down, yet no less complete listen than Electric Version or Mass Romantic.
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These are soulful sing-alongs with grit, pop nuggets that hold up to hours of repeat play in humid bumper-to-bumper traffic, and ultimately, the sound of a great songwriter hitting his stride.
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A uniformly appealing summertime sleeper that mostly eschews wall-of-sound blowouts for a sound just as rich and rewarding.
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It’s an impressive display of the sort of catchy and fun (natch) music that Newman can make, even without the substantial talents of his usual collaborators.
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Taking chances within the realm of a three minute pop song takes sheer talent, and on The Slow Wonder, Carl Newman proves that he is one of the brightest songwriters working in music these days.
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Newman has created a record bearing all the traits that make him such an engaging musical personality in the first place: elliptical wordplay, unusual delivery, and obscenely catchy songs.
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UncutA big, baroque fusion of sharp garage, paisley pop and '70s sleekness, finished with a coating of Terry Jacks sentiment. [Jul 2004, p.104]
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Chock-full of catchy songs, off-kilter melodies, and A.C. Newman’s clever lyricism.
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Fans of the New Pornographers will find Slow Wonder not quite as rocking (though "Miracle Drug" features some crackling guitar work), but possessed of just as many memorable hooks and choruses.
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Q MagazineA refreshing, bracing detour. [Jul 2004, p.121]
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Newman pens melodies that seem to have sprung from the collective unconscious and then encases them in bright, lush power-pop arrangements.
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While it's delivered splendidly, The Slow Wonder doesn't succeed as well as an album as its songs do as individual parts.
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It's not that The Slow Wonder is a bummer by any means, because it's not. It's simply not riding quite the same giddy highs as work by his previous groups.
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BlenderA terrific joy bomb of power chords and power-pop keyboard riffs. [#27, p.142]
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"Wonder" isn't as immediately accessible as any New Pornographers album, which may turn off some fans looking for another set of sugar-coated rock. Nevertheless, these compositions also demonstrate Newman's immense talent, which ensures any monotonous patches on the album are quickly redeemed by far more interesting sonic departures.
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Alternative PressWithout the usual suspects, The Slow Wonder just seems like a well-produced demo of songs he's readying for Electric Version's follow-up. [Aug 2004, p.116]
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Though there's little of the powerpuff zoom associated with the New P's here, uptempo grins like "On the Table" make denying the pleasantness of it all impossible.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 23 out of 24
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Mixed: 0 out of 24
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Negative: 1 out of 24
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DavidJul 10, 2005
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JavinHSep 20, 2004
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MarisaGSep 2, 2004