Slow Car Crash

It’s a damn pity we’re losing this band. Over the past few years, Omarr Escoffie and his group Slow Car Crash have offered some of the most consistently impressive and enjoyable music ever produced in Chico. But now they’ve set their collective eye on Hollywood and possible fame. So who can blame them for wanting to escape the dreamy, lotus-eating vale of Chico? Still, they’ve left us with a beautiful parting gift by way of this new CD. Joseph Gauthier’s "Swear" kicks things off with ghostly synth chords and a programmed, electronic drum riff (the band’s never really used a "real" drummer). Omarr’s strong tenor slides in over it all: "As I look through your window/ I can see the sun shinin’ in/ And I can forget everyone and everything/ As I breathe you in. …" Escoffie’s "No. 14" features a beautiful falsetto and Medhi Belahbib’s cello nicely underpinning the rising melody. "Sugar" is eminently danceable soul. Frankly, the entire CD is eclectic and mighty impressive; no wonder the group is just itching to test its mettle against the big shots. Still, Slow Car Crash will be missed.