Album review: Slowmotions - The Domes

Slowmotions is the project of singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Brassell. After forming the band in Nashville and releasing the first Slowmotions album Quick Potions in 2009, Brassell left Music City for the sprawl of Los Angeles. His new album The Domes is the direct consequence of that move. Lush soundscapes mixed in with a delicate poignancy, Brassell describes the work as a “surreal pop odyssey” and that phrase is definitely apt. The Domes has a scope as large as the city that inspired it and even though the record clocks in at 20 tracks, Brassell never lets his ambition get in the way of the songs. He’s crafted one of the finest pop albums of the year.

The Domes is loosely tied together with short musical transitions and interludes, with such evocative names as "_drunk stars_" and "_ghost birds_", that connect and push the listener through to each of the songs. The album kicks off with “_woof_”, a tiny sample of these before launching into “Cryptography”. Fueled by a rollicking, stuttered beat, a heavy bass synth and coupled with the wistful refrain, “I hope you need me”, the album opener will hit you square in the feelings all the while keeping your toes tapping. “Joy Of Nothing” comes next with a smooth bass line, tight drum groove and some aerobatic guitar noodling that evokes 70s AM radio all while sounding totally current.

You can hear this type of influence creeping into every track on the record. “Man On A Mission” feels like Sub Pop era The Shins and “Don’t Be So Heavy” holds traces of the vocal interplay of the members of Grizzly Bear but the record doesn’t ever feel like an homage to anything except great songwriting and remains very much it’s own thing. The Domes can be delicate and homemade sounding but never skimps out on each song having the fully fleshed out production it deserves. Brassell’s has managed to walk a fine line. He’s made a pop album that has integrity and also an absurd amount of hooks and melodies that will swim around in the listener’s head long after the music fades.