Slo-Blo
Studio album by
Cell
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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