Album Review: Memoryhouse ‘The Slideshow Effect’

Time.  No matter how hard you try, the runaway train that is life always seems to be one step ahead.  You can mark your calendar weeks in advance so you have something to look forward to, but that day you’ve spent so much time looking forward to and yearning for will come and go as quickly as any other.  My Facebook used to be full of pictures of all my drunk college friends.  Now?  Babies, ring fingers, and…well, I guess that’s really all it’s used for.  But while we can’t stop our lives from moving forward, we should seek to soak in the moment when we can.

“All Our Wonder”

Memoryhouse’s debut LP The Slideshow Effect is a dream-pop DeLorean for me.  Not a note seems out of place as every melody is impeccably crafted. At its core, this album is about the end of a relationship. However, it’s also about all of the memories made and lived along the way.  Like going through your old photographs and reliving the smells in the air or the feeling of the wind at your face of a specific moment in time. The album has a calming aesthetic, with thoughtful songs designed to inspire fondly remembered events.

“Bonfire”

Best served with a glass of wine on a Monday night, The Slideshow Effect is a inspiring debut that will help the slow down your constantly running daily clock. High points include the upbeat “The Kids Were Wrong” at the beginning of the album, which I featured in our Mix Tape 2 last friday, the picturesque “Bonfire” and the dreamy “Walk With Me”. I equate the album listening experience to visiting an art gallery of simple brush strokes and earthy colors. While you may not remember any of the portraits individually, you leave with the peace of mind knowing that the whole was much greater than any individual part.

“Walk with Me”

Connect with Memoryhouse via Facebook | Twitter

Written by Greg Dahman