
Langhorne Slim barely grew up and changed outside of Philadelphia, but his music is steeped in the playground of his grandparents. Slim’s reverence for the past and his relentless optimism give his brand of Americana music – gritty and tender, soft and punk-influenced – its special sparkle. While Langhorne Slim first came to prominence with his band Langhorne Slim and the War Eagles in 2006, his 2012 album The way we move was his small group outing. The title track playing in the background of a Microsoft ad, the Tina Fey and Matthew Broderick movie trailer Admissionsand even won over Conan O’Brien as an instant fan.
But beneath the revival fervor of the church tent of his live shows and the relentless pursuit of happiness in his songs, Slim suffered from intense anxiety. He says rolling stone that when he ran out of his medication while touring Europe, his doctor disapproved of how over-prescribed they were in America and advised Slim to wean himself off them.
The pandemic lockdown offered just the right opportunity to do so. Slim, with the support of his friends, overcame a huge creative block and wrote the songs that would become strawberry mansionhis last album.
“Strawberry Mansion is the neighborhood in Philadelphia my grandfathers Jack and Sid grew up in,” Slim explains on his website. “It became a place of myths for me. A dirty but soft place, tough but full of love. Where giants roamed the earth and had names like Whistle and Curly.”
There are, however, plenty of songs to love in Slim’s career. Here are ten of his best, so far.
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ten
“Ocean City (for May, Jack and Brother Jon)”
From: ‘Lost at Last Vol. 1’ (2017)
“Ocean City (For May, Jack & Brother Jon)” fondly recalls memories of summer afternoons and nights in the Jersey seaside town with his grandparents. It’s a sweet song that communicates the excitement of summer vacation that seems to go on forever. It’s also an affectionate character study of Slim’s grandparents, who figure prominently throughout his work.
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9
“Morning prayer”
Excerpt from: “The Strawberry Manor” (2021)
‘Morning Prayer’ is from Slim’s pandemic album strawberry mansion, which came together after a long period of writer’s block and anxiety. Slim describes the process of writing this album as if the songs were “floating in the air right in front of me”, ready to be ripped off. The song certainly feels like a spiritual breakthrough for Slim, realizing — as we all did on those spring mornings of 2020 — that letting go of the illusion of control is liberating.
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8
“Blue Bird”
From: ‘Lost at Last Vol. 1’ (2017)
finally lost found Slim toying with traditional folk melodies, giving them a contemporary kick with his wry humor. “Bluebird” is a violin stomper that celebrates simple morning pleasures with a new lover after an exciting night out. Slim finds joy in quiet times – and turns them into parties at his concerts.
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seven
“Whisper”
From: “The Spirit Moves” (2015)
The mind moves, Slim’s 2015 follow-up to his hit, was a stark departure from his rambling old punk. Instead, Slim traced the experimentalism and jazz influences of 70s British folk. “Changes” encapsulates the best of Slim’s storytelling. As lively as the story is, Slim’s economy of words turns the tale of a betrayed lover into a sparse poem, a crooner’s ballad where others might express their feelings with a more bombastic approach.
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6
“Mighty Soul”
Excerpt from: “The Strawberry Manor” (2021)
“Mighty Soul” is another standout track from Slim’s 2021 album strawberry mansion. The construction of the song is simplistic, but the message is not: we all have our part to play in the collective well-being of humanity. And it doesn’t take much to activate us: a simple song is enough.
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5
“Put together”
From: “The Spirit Moves” (2015)
“Put It Together” is one of the loudest songs on The mind moves. With this first crash of drums, the song presents itself as an irresistible earworm. On the song, Slim channels early rock ‘n’ rollers who combined the gospel tradition with more refined lounge singers. You can practically hear Slim rotating his mic stand. The song’s tinkling piano line lends some cheer to a song that ultimately tells how love is just a temporary balm for mental illness.
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4
“Life is confusing”
From: ‘Lost at Last Vol. 1’ (2017)
‘Life is Confusing’ continues the experimental vein of Slim’s 2017 album finally lost. The song is meditative and comforting, even amid confusing changes. It’s a long-standing theme in Slim’s work: change is inevitable and we can’t control the circumstances in which it occurs.
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3
“Changes”
From: “The Spirit Moves” (2015)
Speaking of which, the grim thoughtfulness of “Changes” was the first indicator for fans who The mind moves would show Slim moving in a radically different direction than The way we move. With melodic banjos, a carefully chosen guitar – and a delicate string section that keeps things going, “Changes” was certainly a game-changer for Slim’s songwriting. And it was a success.
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2
“The Way We Move”
From: “The Way We Move” (2012)
No overview of Langhorne Slim’s career would be complete without ‘The Way We Move’. Slim represented much of the music coming out of Williamsburg and West Philly: rambling music that wasn’t punk, folk, or rock – but something totally organic and groundbreaking in relation to post-9/11 apathy. indie rock. ‘The Way We Move’ was in the right place at the right time: while Slim was probably more at home with fellow South Jersey rockers, the Gaslight Anthem, the advent of the Lumineers paved the way for folk music brave, energetic and easy on the ears. -
1
“Song for Sid”
From: “The Way We Move” (2012)
“Song for Sid” is the culmination of any Langhorne Slim set. An ode to the “giants” in Slim’s life, it is one of the truest that Slim has written. The chorus poses a question that resonates through many of us, especially after our nation’s collective grief: Where do the greats go when they’re gone?