Slo-Blo
Studio album by
Released1992, Germany
1993, United States
GenreAlternative rock
LabelCity Slang (Germany)
Ecstatic Peace!/DGC Records
ProducerJohn Siket, Cell
Cell chronology
Slo-Blo
(1992)
Living Room
(1994)

Slo-Blo (also stylized as Slo*Blo) is the debut album by the American alternative rock band Cell.[1][2] It was released in 1993 by DGC Records; the band had been signed by Thurston Moore.[3][4] The album was first issued by City Slang, in 1992.

Production

The album was produced by John Siket and Cell.[5] It had been recorded as a demo.[6] Cell used DGC's money to remix the album for its American release.[7]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
Calgary HeraldA−[9]
Chicago Tribune[10]
Entertainment WeeklyC−[11]
The Indianapolis Star[12]

Spin called the album "a leaden fumble, as close to formula as indie rock gets."[13] The Chicago Tribune praised the "dynamic six-string melodic grunge, where magisterial riffs and probing guitar jams share equal time."[10] Trouser Press opined that "if commercial post-punk noise were to get more formulaic than this, it’d have to be stacked in the generic-brand aisle."[14] The Washington Post thought that "at its most tuneful, on such songs as 'Tundra', Slo+Blo recalled the plaintive, folkish punk of Husker Du."[15]

Entertainment Weekly noted the "muffled drumming, proudly tuneless singing, sprawling arrangements that sound as if they’re about to crumble," writing that "the band forgot to write good songs, making Slo-Blo much noisy ado about nothing."[11] Newsday concluded that "on songs such as 'Cross the River' and 'Stratosphere', Cell's instrumentation gets very close to standard rock anthems."[6] The Indianapolis Star wrote that "raging guitars here offer a satisfying jolt but [there's] little melodic diversity."[12] The Calgary Herald called the album "hard, methodical, noisy."[9]

AllMusic admired the "fluid, meandering riffs that slowly build and overlap and begin to take shape as something powerful, hypnotic, and cohesive."[8]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Fall"3:35
2."Wild"3:46
3."Cross the River"2:56
4."Dig Deep"3:27
5."Stratosphere"5:36
6."Two"2:59
7."Everything Turns"4:10
8."Tundra"4:10
9."Bad Day"2:24
10."Hills"4:09

References

  1. "Cell Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2021-10-02. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  2. Christensen, Thor (11 Mar 1993). "Unicorn Cell-ebration". The Milwaukee Journal. p. D2.
  3. "Blame Nirvana: The 40 Weirdest Post-'Nevermind' Major-Label Albums -". SPIN. January 8, 2013. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  4. Robins, Wayne (30 Oct 1992). "Another Fall, Another CMJ Marathon". Newsday. Weekend. p. 82.
  5. "Album reviews -- Slo Blo by Cell". Billboard. 105 (4): 62. Jan 23, 1993.
  6. 1 2 Fletcher, Tony (17 Jan 1993). "Noise for the New Year". Newsday. Fanfare. p. 21.
  7. Punter, Jennie (18 Mar 1993). "Cell-mates dispute sell-out stories". Toronto Star. p. C9.
  8. 1 2 "Slo*Blo - Cell | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". Archived from the original on 2021-08-05. Retrieved 2021-10-02 via www.allmusic.com.
  9. 1 2 Bell, Mike (24 Jan 1993). "RECENT RELEASES". Calgary Herald. p. C5.
  10. 1 2 McCormick, Moira. "Slo-Blo (Ecstatic Peace/DGC)". chicagotribune.com. Archived from the original on 2021-10-22. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  11. 1 2 "Slo-Blo". EW.com. Archived from the original on 2021-10-02. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  12. 1 2 Bacon, Scott (15 Feb 1993). "Cell 'Slo Blo', DGC Records". The Indianapolis Star. p. D4.
  13. Greer, Jim (Mar 1993). "Spins". Spin. 8 (12): 76.
  14. "Cell". Trouser Press. Archived from the original on 2 October 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  15. Jenkins, Mark (13 Apr 1994). "Cell: `Living Room'". The Washington Post. p. D7.
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