Leo Nine

Item: Slow Steady Heart
Author: Linus Boman

Slow Steady Heart

(2005)

Reviewed by Linus Boman

Discogs Bandcamp Apple Music TIDAL Amazon Music Spotify YouTube Music

Label Ironduke RecordsThe Phantom Tollbooth2005

alternative rock indie rock post-rock

Don't let the subdued tones and overcast imagery of the cover art lull you into a false sense of security. Opening up Leo Nine's latest offering, Slow Steady Heart, you'll be confronted by vibrant, saturated reds and vivid streaks of light. A unique but fitting visual accompaniment to the opening track from this Brisbane-based indie rock group. "The Slow Bullet," immediately gives the impression of a vehicle gaining momentum. It's gearing up for a journey across wide musical territory, traversed in style.

Slow Steady really showcases the blossoming of the potential the boys showed us with their superb 2002, self-titled EP. All the elements of the previous recording make appearances here, but with greater depth. Caleb James' songwriting is as solid and well-crafted as ever, straddling the line between the earthy and ethereal with grace and simplicity. Matt Gray has clearly put hard work into mastering this album, but the fruits of his labour are rich and sweet; when the songs hit their climax, they shimmer and stir the listener as great songs should.

Highlights along the journey include the soaring, "Stay," a layered, haunting call for strength and relief from this fallen world: "Take me over now, this world is overcome / I can't get out, it's all around me / Take me out / Take me now."

Another standout, the striking contrast of the juxtaposed darkness-into-dawn of "Dragging My Head Through Mud" and "Shining Like The Sun." Starting with a progressive industrial sound-scape, setting the scene for Mud's desperate tale:

Crushing my bones on rocks
I've been sunk before
The scars remain as yesterday
Dragging my hands through glass
I feel nothingness . . .
I feel nothing . . .

Although desperate, it is not a tale without redemption:

Give my heart away
You're so beautiful
On my knees but I'm willing
Take my armour
I surrender now

This song eases into the upbeat and catchy, though vague and enigmatic, "Shining Like The Sun." This may be the biggest weakness in this project--and possibly for the previous EP also--that those looking for clear cut stories or neatly packaged, easy-to-swallow messages will be quickly disappointed. Although some lyrics are more direct than others, on the whole the songs offer the listener a casual brush of the shoulders rather than a hefty handshake to decipher their meanings. This aspect is equally as much a strength as a weakness but for a few listeners who will be uneasy with this side of Leo Nine in Slow Steady Heart.

The album closer, "Everything Is Okay," is another well crafted gem; layered and rich, but light and sparkling, it cleanses the auditory palate after a hearty meal (no pun intended). That being said, there are really no filler tracks on this album; each song has its own flavour somewhere between dark, muted blue and blazing, bright red.

The hooks and James' bittersweet melodies are bound to take root in the listener's mind, ribboning in and out of one's consciousness long after the disc has stopped spinning in its bay. Although this album has twice the tracks of the 2002 EP, it still leaves the listener clamouring for more. All I can say is, once you've heard real artistry, it's hard to go back to mass-produced formula-driven music.

Leo Nine's album, Slow Steady Heart, is available from their website <http://www.leo-nine.com/>, along with the single of "Give a Little" and their 2002 self-titled EP.

5 tocks