The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Debut album
Stuff Records; and the Athens and Decatur locations of Wuxtry Records, plan to have the record available.
The songs on the album are the result of Simpson’s creativity, love of music and pandemic lockdown-related free time that opened up after he finished mixing concerts for other artists he’d recorded PRE-COVID and then watched everything he wanted to see on TV.
“This whole thing really was to help me be engaged and not just passively pass time, but do something I love doing after work every night,” said the Columbus native, who also lived in Atlanta from 1999-2009.
For “System Update,” Simpson returned to playing guitar, an instrument he’d given up after a serious automobile accident years ago. He wrote his first song and sang into a microphone for the first time—in his mid40s. He started experimenting with synthesizers. Slowly the album took shape, with the biggest influence on the sound being the Cure.
Much of the early focus on the record has centered on its guest musicians, and for good reason: they include a veritable who’s who of Athens players, from bands such as Elf Power, Drive-by Truckers and the late but influential Sugar. But putting the focus mostly on them does a disservice to Simpson. Their embellishments are to songs he wrote and sang — it’s his project.
Take the title track. It’s a stunning opener, flying in from outer space in a swirl of synthesizers, system lyrics and alien/robot-sounding vocals: “This is not a system failure/this is just an update.” Simpson tried recording the lead vocals with a vocoder only, but discovered he couldn’t discern the words. Instead, it’s a plain vocal with a vocoder version doubling it. “The vocal effects — a lot of that is, having never sung before, I was really self-conscious about my voice,” he notes. “I thought, the more I can do to make it not sound like me, I’ll feel better about that,” Simpson adds with a laugh.
Radically different is “Love You So Good,” a video for which has already been produced by Simpson’s friend, Atlanta filmmaker and musician Erica Strout. The heartfelt lament is an ode to his late mother, who used the phrase as another way of saying, “I love you so much.”
There are three instrumentals on “System Update,” capturing yet another dimension of Simpson’s early songwriting. Particularly catchy is “Cleopatra Echo,” boasting waves of ’70s-sounding synths, a pedal steel guitar and a short but effective electric guitar solo.
That spirit of adventure is evident throughout the album, and is one of its finest qualities.
As he began to create more songs, Simpson wanted his friends — many of whom are in well-known Athens groups — to contribute to the project. His first call was to Robert Schneider of the Apples In Stereo, who signed on but turned out to be the last contributor to turn in his parts, on account of his schedule. Patterson Hood from Drive-by Truckers was next, allowing Simpson to be able to approach the next would-be guest with the news that both Schneider and Hood were participating. “I don’t think there’s any room left in any of these songs for any additional parts,” he opines, highlighting the number of guests making appearances — something that led him to name the project Sloan Brothers.
Simpson has already started work on the second Sloan Brothers album.
Schneider and Simpson have also launched side project Obligatory Refractions, whose music promises to be as psychedelic as its name suggests.
While Sloan Brothers will not be performing live, Simpson’s holding a launch event/listening party at the 40 Watt Club in Athens on July 1 (ticket information is on C1). In the meantime, he’s celebrating this week’s long-awaited digital release. “Everything’s been really positive,” he says about early reaction to “System Update.” It’s deserved recognition for a project that’s come quite a long way from its beginnings as a way for its creator to be active and stay positive at a tough time for many.