Customer Reviews

Eisenhower

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have been a fan of the musicianship of this small but powerhouse band for a few years now and have always wished they could have the kind of exposure a band with vocals can get. They have been freeform and flowing and inventive and smart, but with numbers sometimes lasting for ten minutes or more they seemed destined to remain an alternative treasure. Until now. This is one of the most beautiful and creative pieces of work I've heard from any concert band in a long time. It's the kind of album you sit in your driveway just so you can hear one more song. Suffication Keep is the album's haunting and soulful ballad and my favorite. There is even an anthem in If One Of Us Should Fall. This should be the breakthrough this band was working towards. Five stars, yes!

I heard the first track (Children of December) on the radio one morning, and later that day I bought the CD--an unusual action for me. But the song sounded that good.

Then I gave the rest a listen. My reaction: Okay. That was after my first listen. Now, over 100 listens later, I am beginning to understand this album. And what I understand thus far is that these 11 songs have changed me. I am not sure how or why, but I am no longer satisfied by any of the music that I was satisfied with before, or that is being produced/played these days. And realizing this truth has frustrated me.

Where's the other good music?!

In Eisenhower, The Slip have produced a work that is reminiscent of Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, Wilco, The Beatles, etc. It is surely a concept album, but what exactly the concept is eludes me--and I am glad. This gives me room to imagine and tack my own meaning to the songs.

The stand-out songs? I like the melancolia I find in Paper Birds--a song that also, in its drawnout, sing-along finish, serves to connect all the other songs on the album (Paper Birds is the 11th song)--and in Suffocation Keep; I like The Soft Machine and Mothwing Bite; I like Airplane/Primitive. But the jams, the 3 guys playing off each other, is just so fine! Here these guys have perfected their jazz/rock/acoustic fusion jam like never before.

Have I said too much? No. Take a listen, and then keep listening. Their sound grows, until you will be anxiously awaiting their next release.

About their earlier efforts: they don't compare to Eisenhower. The earlier efforts definitely have their moments, but the boys (3 brothers, 2 blood) have grown up musically, so don't wait--pick up a copy of Eisenhower today...and tell a friend to do the same.

I have been following the Slip for over five years now. I've enjoyed thier shows out when I went to UMASS Amherst and they always put on one heck of a show! While The Slip has evolved through the years, this work proves to be thier most professional and accessible studio work yet. Every song evokes emotion. The work on "Eisenhower" accentuates the band's vocal work, but thier instrumentals are just as good. This disc should get The Slip the recognition that they have deserved for a long time coming.

I actually bought this as a present for my boyfriend. He had heard the first song on Guitar Hero and wanted the CD. He was thoroughly happy with the gift and I can't help but say that I enjoy the music too. It's not a hard rock but most of the songs really follow the flow of "Even Rats"...if you like that song....you'll probably like the rest.

Heard one song from The Slip in PlayStation2 game "Guitar Hero" and enjoyed it so much that i decided to buy their CD. Since I got it a couple of weeks ago I been listening to it a couple times per day, and I still love it. Almost every song is great! Very nice!

/ Jonas, Sweden

I have listened to the Slip for about a year now, buying a few of their older albums. I loved Angels Come on Time and Does was alright (not really my type of music), but this album blows both those out of the water. The songs "Even Rats" and "Children of December" were songs I listened to on their website almost every day for six months and still haven't gotten sick of them on the album. "Airplane/Primitive" is such a good harder song on the album, but is still so beautiful with the effects on the guitars and the heavy use of cymbals. "Suffocation Keep" is the only song EVER to make me cry. I know I sound like a wimp but honestly, it's the most beautiful song I've ever heard. "Life in Disguise" is another great acoustic song (just featured on Grey's Anatomy). The final song "Paper Birds" has a great somber beginning and then finishes of the album with a bang, almost like the whole CD has a storyline. I can't describe how many times I've listened to this album since the day it came out and I will continue to listen to it. It's one of those you can listen to all the way through again and again. Please, give the Slip a chance and maybe it will change your perception of good music forever. I know it changed mine. 5 stars...

How this band is not more well-known is beyond me. Even after the sublime "Life in Disguise" was featured on Grey's Anatomy, their popularity didn't really take off - though, that's not necessarily a bad thing for fans since this is the type of band that you almost want to horde for yourself. Beautifully created indie "lo-fi" style music, infused with a real pop sensibility. This is a band that doesn't shy away from pop hooks and melody, while keeping their lyricism and unfettered instrumentation.

Buy this album. Seriously.

For many years now the slip have been changing their sound from long jazzy tunes with not much structure but still amazing, to now tightly structered well crafted songs. What hasen't changed is their undeniable sound. That kind of fuzzed out ambient twang that spills out of the gutairs drums and bass. This album is so good i was hoping for a traffic jam so i could listen to it longer in my car. Some people i know are critical about brad barr's vocals but i have always loved them and here they sound amazing with the added production stylings. For fans and newcomers this is the album we've been waiting for.

I'm not somebody that had heard of The Slip prior to about four months ago. I only happened across them by way of Guitar Hero for the PlayStation, and found myself playing Even Rats over and over and over again.

Oddly enough, they happened to be playing in San Francisco within a few days of the album's release, so I saw them live just prior to hearing the disc. Needless to say that the show was amazing: as is Eisenhower.

The Amazon review is right: this is a band that you'll want to champion. I find myself telling friends and family about this album all the time, while trying to hunt down their older live recordings and so on for myself. I've never called a radio station to request a song before, but I did recently. Not for myself, but because I want this band to get the attention they deserve.

Buy the album; you won't regret it.

Having been a fan of the Slip when I accidentaly heard a track off of From The Gecko on a late night radio show in Colorado, I finally was able to see them live in Vail Colorado years later (I desperately wanted to hear Alson). Seeing the Slip live is a fantastic experience! The experimentation with instruments and sounds is so different live! Eisenhower is addicting, and I cant wait till the next release......Surprise me Mr. Davis!