The Slow Wire

The Slow Wire - analog.living (CD, amBiguous CITY!, Pop/rock)Really nice moody and melodic guitar rock. The Slow Wire is the brainchild of David Urbano...a young gentleman with the voice and songwriting skills to go far. This album was recorded at Wayne Dorell's Pigeon Club. The thick compositions on analog.living are smart and energetic...but there's a strong melodic sense that pushes them to another level. Urbano's vocal style is just right. His breathy vocals are in that perfect part of the mix in between the guitars and the bass...and he makes it all sound like it takes no effort at all (which we are certain is actually NOT the case...). The tunes, are, for the most part direct and to the point...with little excess in terms of overdubs and arrangements. Plenty of good, heady, alternative guitar rock here... Our particular favorites are "Crossed Wires," "Medicine," "Pixel Addict" (great song AND great song title), and "Untitled Somehow." Killer tunes, killer delivery... (Rating: 5)
- Babysue.com

"Intelligent indie rock, polished and ready to go. Craetively blends an answering machine, a Moog, a Wurlitzer, and what sounds like a Casio keyboard drum beat into an impressive collection of laid-back pop tunes. Bonus points for sounding like it was actually produced by professionals. Drop this CD in and impress your friends with your encyclopedic knowledge of up-and-coming indie outfits. 4 out of 5 "!'s" - Scott Finnell, (Toronto, Ont., Canada)
- Caustic Truths

"'Analog Living' sounds like Atombombpocketknife, and 'Badweather Friend' is something between the spaciness of David Bowie and the accidental things-falling-into-place of Pavement." - MH
- Noreasterzine

"David Urbano's healthy desire to experiment with styles, arrangements and recording tricks is what pushes Analog.Living just to the edge of the indie-rock ghetto. There's an interesting underbelly of analog pulses and the guitars crunch and chime appropriately and beautifully". 4 of 6 pitchforks - Mike Alexis
- Devil in the Woods

"On Analog Living, The Slow Wire appealingly mixes the standard guitar-bass-drums setup with Moog and Wurlitzer noodling to weave a near-perfect indie pop pastiche. At times redolent of of Superchunk, Seam, and other indie pop stalwarts, The Slow Wire nevertheless presents a contribution to that canon worthy of its own recognition with this collection of ten tracks and three untitled bonus songs. "Super Glue" mixes singer-songwriter-guitar-bassist-keyboardist David Urbano's vocals with those of Amy Jacob (who provides backing vocals0); It's by the airiest track on the album, but the male-female harmonies put a pretty spin on the song's catchy formula/ "Badweather Friend" is a lish, dreamy, synth-based slow drone; while the title track that immediately follows shifts into a driving,s traight-up rock 'n roll groove. "Pixel Addict", one of the most conventionally catchy yet aesthetically arresting tracks on the album, demonstrates the band's clear Pixies influences. Analog Living avoids the irritating shoegazer tendencies so ingrained in many of The Slow Wire's contemporaries, and while it's not a groundbreaking record, it's a smooth and infectious effort that's all the more welcome in an era in which good new pop records are too hard to find. -Amanda Cantrell
- Pop Culture Press

Considering the recent role reversal where indie rock�not pop�will eat itself (from garage rock to Ryan Adams, it�s all textbook revisionism), it�s damn refreshing to hear the contained roar of a staunch do it your-selfer ring a new tune. In The Slow Wire�s case, its moonlighting Aviso�Hara bassist Dave Urbano laying fresh focus on a saturated approach. Neither referencing the Stonsey swagger of the White Stripes, the velvety drone of The Strokes nor The Kinks kick of the Mooney Suzuki, The Slow Wire instead drop enthralling moody power pop shot without a flash. With not a wasted note to be found, the maximally efficient analog.living is a marked departure from Aviso�Hara. Trimmed of excess noise with no dissonance merely for the sake of, analog.living is liberatingly free of pretense. Enlisting the soaring vocal support of Prosolar Mechanics� Amy Jacob, �Super Glue� pops like rock candy, and �Badweather Friend� is so darkly lilting Urbano barely rises above a sustained, albeit dramatic whisper. Not forsaking his roots, the title track is a hearty reminder that Mr.Urbano still knows how to rock and will do so anytime he damn well pleases. Crafted as a complete album with every cohesive note piecing the puzzle together, The Slow Wire�s post-everything punk re-acquaints indie rock with its progressive roots �not regressive�roots.- Chris Uhl Music Editor Grade A
- ARTS WEEKLY,

"Artful, intelligent, richly textured indie-rock from this New Jersey-based band led by singer-guitarist Dave Urbano, late of emo heroes Aviso'Hara (in which he played bass) and the aggro-art ensemble Suran Song In Stag. The softer bits of Smashing Pumpkins can be heard in Analog.Living's Beatlesque progressions and measured tempos and Urbano's veiled vocals, while moments of spiny dissonance and stuttering beats bring to mind Shudder To Think, the Slow Wire is neither as melodramatic nor as mathematic as those comparisons might suggest. Dave and company maintain a careful balance between introversion and extroversion, urban cool and suburban emotion, never letting melody fall behind in the pursuit of new edges. The result may not always be as thrilling as the fiery title track but Analog.Living never fails to entertain. -Jim Santos
- Demo Universe

"There are echoes of Guied by Voices, Magnetic Fields, Superchunk, Britpop. the Elephant Six Collective's neo-psychedelia, and lots more, mixing guitars and synths (Moog and Wurlitzer organ) with harmony vocals and head-bobbing beats (drums mostly by Tommy Bendel now in Plug Spark Sanjay). From the winsome innocence of "Super Glue" to the Crazy Horse grunge of "Analog Living" to the slow loping pop whimsy of "Pixel Addict," Slow Wire keeps throwing different textures, tempos, and dynamics at you withe a casual grace that's a180 degree twist from the sonic train-wreck of Aviso'hara." -Jim Testa
- Jersey Beat - 20 Year Anniversary Issue 71

"Urbano himself should also be proud, as he has turned a string of loose ideas into a nifty side project worthy of a headlining gig. What could have been a tacky concept album, or a beleaguered bassist's nonsensical moment in the spotlight, instead proves that Urbano can perform quite well in that spotlight, thank you, and that The Slow Wire deserves more than the dreaded "side project" status. I never knew I'd want to go back to 1995, but Analog.living took me there and reminded me how much fun pointless alt-rock could be." -- Justin Kownacki
- Splendid E-Zine

Pretty neat stuff with an alternative edge rock buzz that gives off a Sonic Youth, Lemonheads, Dino Jr., Pixies sound. But you can also hear a cool guitar edge added in as well on a few.
- TOXIC FLYER FANZINE