CD Review
Soul Asylum
Delayed Reaction
429 Records
2012
☆☆☆☆½
By: Joseph Suto
Delayed Reaction has finally arrived and the title fits perfectly. It marks the first studio release for Soul Asylum since 2006s The Silver Lining, needless to say it’s been a long time coming. Dave Pirner took his time writing and the album was recorded at various studios over the six year period. Joining Pirner for the recording are founding guitarist Dan Murphy, bassist Tommy Stinson and drummer Michael Bland.
The album kicks off with the high energy style of “Gravity” that gets the ball rolling. Perhaps the tune that sticks to your ears the best is “Into The Light”, which the band had played in some concerts last year to give everyone a preview of this release. The album contains ten tracks in all, clocking in at a smidge over thirty minutes, the listener is given a good mix of music. “Cruel Intentions” is the prime example as it features Pirner crooning over a piano where you can literally picture him in some fancy restaurant corner doing so. Two other highlights would have to include “The Juice” and “Pipe Dream”, both upbeat songs. The album closes with “I Should’ve Stayed In Bed” which also is the longest song on Delayed Reaction at a tad over five mintues. The song starts off sounding quite somber but the message delivered is one of hope.
Soul Asylum has made another strong album that will please their longtime fans and should garner some new ones as well. This is the way bands should approach making albums. Ever since the dawn of the CD, artists feel they need to fill them up completely with music. This causes several sub-par songs to be included and also makes the consumer reach for the skip button way too frequently. Soul Asylum chose ten of their best, making for a much stronger album and I guarantee you’ll be listening from start to finish.
Track Listing
01. Gravity
02. Into The Light
03. The Streets
04. By The Way
05. Pipe Dream
06. Let’s All Kill Each Other
07. Cruel Intentions
08. The Juice
09. Take Manhattan
10. I Should’ve Stayed In Bed
Produced by: Soul Asylum & John Fields
Running Time 33:02
